Generics

NORTH WALES, Pa. — Generic drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched a generic drug for treating symptoms of menopause.

Teva announced Thursday the availability of Jinteli (norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol) tablets.

The drug is a generic version of Warner Chilcott’s FemHRT and is available in the 1-mg/5-mcg strength.

PITTSBURGH — Mylan has launched a generic drug for fungal infections, the company said Tuesday.

Mylan announced the launch, through subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals, of voriconazole tablets in the 50-mg and 200-mg strengths. The drug is a triazole antifungal agent.

The tablets are a generic version of Pfizer’s Vfend, which had sales of $186 million in 2010, according to IMS Health. Mylan launched its version of the drug under a settlement with Pfizer.

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Watson's global generics business drove the drug maker's net revenue in the fourth quarter, according to a financial earnings release.

WASHINGTON — Mark Merritt, the president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, responded to a provision on the Pentagon's new budget proposal, which encourages Tricare members to use generic medications and mail-service pharmacies to save money.

PHILADELPHIA — An increase in consolidation among generic drug companies could be in the works, according to a new report from Thomson Reuters.

According to the report, “Gaining Market Share in the Generic Drug Industry Through Acquisitions and Partnerships,” generic drug makers face competition, as well as government-mandated price cuts in Europe and such policies as lowest-price tendering. As a result, many could seek deals that would cause them to diversify their portfolios.

AMITYVILLE, N.Y. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved Hi-Tech Pharmacal’s generic version of a drug for eye infections.

Hi-Tech announced the approval of levofloxacin ophthalmic solution in the 0.5% strength, a treatment for bacterial conjunctivitis. The company plans to launch next month.

The drug is a generic version of Vistakon’s Quixin, which had sales of $2 million in 2010, according to IMS Health.

ST. LOUIS — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a painkiller delivered through a skin patch made by Mallinckrodt, the generic drug maker said Friday.

Mallinckrodt, part of Covidien, said the FDA approved its fentanyl transdermal system patch.

The patch is a generic version of Johnson & Johnson’s Duragesic. The drug, an opioid and Class II controlled substance, is used for managing persistent, moderate-to-severe pain that requires continuous opioid administration.

NEW YORK — Bills introduced in the legislatures of nearly a dozen states have pharmacy benefit managers and the generic drug industry fearing that the bills could lead to limits on doctors’ abilities to prescribe generics through e-prescribing.

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the main lobby for PBMs, said the bills would prohibit doctors from seeing lower-cost drug options, including generics and preferred brands; would prevent the e-prescribing software from showing safety information; and would disallow lower-cost pharmacy options.