Actavis partners with Medicines360 to sell low-cost IUDs in public clinics

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Drug maker Actavis is working with nonprofit pharmaceutical company Medicines360 to make low-cost intrauterine devices available to women, the two said.

The partnership will make the devices available at very low prices to public-sector health clinics around the country. Actavis has licensed U.S. commercial rights for the Medicines360 LNG20 IUD, and Medicines360 retains rights to market the product in the U.S. public sector, including family-planning clinics that provide services to low-income women. Belgian drug maker Uteron Pharma originally developed the device, which is currently in phase-3 clinical trials in the United States and may be launched as early as next year.

"Ensuring patient access to affordable generic pharmaceuticals and specialty brand products that provide consumers with additional treatment options is fundamental to Actavis' history of leadership in pharmaceuticals," Actavis president for specialty brands Fred Wilkinson said. "Medicines360's business model, which is unique in ensuring access and affordability, represents a continuation of our commitment to these shared principles."