FDA approves Lupin's generic Lexapro

MUMBAI, India Indian drug manufacturer Lupin announced Monday that the Food and Drug Administration had approved its generic anti-depressant escitalopram oxalate tablets.

New York-based Forest Laboratories markets the drug under the brand name Lexapro. Its patent will expire in 2012, and Lupin’s generic version will subsequently enter U.S. markets.

Lexapro and other drugs for treating central nervous system disorders had sales of $2.8 billion in 2007, according to Forest Laboratories financial data.