Generics
Ranbaxy beats Teva to Alzheimer’s drug
Aricept (donepezil hydrochloride), Eisai Pharmaceutical’s biggest selling drug, comes off patent in the US in November 2010. Thereafter donepezil hydrochloride may be sold as a generic drug. Teva has applied to sell donepezil, but the FDA granted Ranbaxy first access to the lucrative market in a letter dated 17 September 2010.
An ageing population: generics and biosimilars could be the solution
On 17 October 2010 the European Generic Medicines Association (EGA) organised an event to discuss patient access to affordable treatments and healthcare sustainability in view of an increasingly ageing population.
Canadians pay almost twice as much as Americans for generics
A new study released on 13 October 2010 by the Canadian Fraser Institute finds that Canadians pay far higher prices, in fact almost double, for generic drugs than patients in the US.
Go Perrigo!
Generic drug maker Perrigo has made it to Fortune magazine's top 100 fastest growing companies in the US. Fortune is a business magazine especially known for ranking companies by revenue. So there is some rejoicing in Michigan as the local hero has now received national acclaim.
FDA user fees for assessing generic drugs
The FDA is beginning a long-awaited attempt to create a system of user fees for assessing generic drugs. The US agency has a backlog of more than 2,000 products to review and has been short of funds for years. But things are never straightforward…
Slow response to internet sales of fake pharmaceuticals
If you are reading this news online, you are surely aware that many sites claim to sell “generic medicines” “without prescription” over the internet. Police and authorities have noticed as well, but do not know how best to tackle these lucrative scams.
Teva continues to expand
The world's largest generic pharmaceutical company, Israeli-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, is investing Euros 42 million to expand its production plant in Stouffville, Canada. At the same time Ontario is providing a Euros 4.8-million grant to Teva Canada, which will retain 182 high-skilled workers and hire 20 new employees.
Comparison of biosimilar and branded vancomycin
Despite demonstrating pharmacological equivalence, researchers have found biosimilar vancomycin exhibited inferior antimicrobial activity compared with the branded product.
Teva challenged over 180-day marketing exclusivity
Canadian generics’ manufacturer Apotex has asked the US Supreme Court to hear a case that could have a lasting impact on how marketing exclusivity is awarded to generic-drug manufacturers by the FDA.
Japan’s generics sector set to grow
Japan is currently the world’s second largest pharmaceutical market, with annual sales of approximately Yen 8,850 billion. Around 8% of its prescription drug sales (20% in sales volume) are generics.
