Generics
Teva and Sun Pharma settle battle over generic Protonix
Pfizer announced on 12 June 2013 that the pharma giant had reached a settlement with generics manufacturers Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries (Teva) and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (Sun Pharma) for damages resulting from their ‘at-risk’ launches of generic pantoprazole in the US.
Dr Reddy’s and Fujifilm call off joint venture for generics in Japan
Two years after signing a deal to work together on generics in Japan, Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm) and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (Dr Reddy’s) have called off their agreement.
Equivalence of generic immunosuppressants
There are no compelling pharmacological arguments against the sensible use of the generic immunosuppressants ciclosporin, tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil in clinical practice, argue pharmacologists working in drug evaluation in The Netherlands [1].
US appeals court halts Pulmicort generics
On 25 May 2013, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a temporary injunction in the US stopping generics of AstraZeneca’s asthma treatment Pulmicort Respules (budesonide inhalation suspension).
Lipitor generics saved UK NHS £350 million in first 12 months
Generics of the blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) saved the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) more than GBP 350 million in the first 12 months following the expiration of Pfizer’s patent exclusivity.
Ranbaxy pays US$500 million to resolve US litigation
In what has been hailed as the largest ever settlement of its kind involving a drug safety settlement with a generics manufacturer, Ranbaxy Laboratories (Ranbaxy) pleaded guilty to violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act (FDCA) and making false statements.
Sanofi fined for discouraging generic clopidogrel prescriptions
On 14 May 2013, French drugmaker sanofi-aventis was fined Euros 40.6 million by the French competition authority (L’Autorité de la concurrence) for marketing practices that discouraged sales of generic versions of its blood thinner Plavix (clopidogrel).
FDA rejects Endo petition to stop Opana ER generics
On 10 May 2013, FDA announced that it had rejected a petition by Endo Pharmaceuticals (Endo) to stop generics of its powerful painkiller, Opana ER (oxymorphone).
The biggest drug patent losses for 2013
During 2012–2018 over US$290 billion of sales are at risk from patent expirations. In fact, in 2013 alone patents will expire on drugs with yearly sales of US$29 billion. Generics are expected to grab 70% of those sales.
Innovation in the generics industry
The decrease in innovation in the originator pharmaceutical industry is leading to an increase in innovation in the generics pharmaceutical industry, according to new research [1].
