Reporters Notebook

Supplier News—Sandoz has introduced mometasone fuorate, a generic version of Schering-Plough’s Elocon. The lotion is used to treat various skin conditions, including dermatitis and eczema. Last year, the drug had sales worldwide of $141 million.

Fleming Pharmaceuticals has marketed the first once-daily vitamin B12 nasal spray, called CaloMist, approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The drug was developed as a maintenance alternative for patients using ongoing B12 intramuscular injections. “Our goal in developing CaloMist was to provide a more comfortable, convenient means for maintaining consistent B12 levels for patients without having to rely on shots administered by medical personnel,” said Scott Sims, vice president of sales and marketing for Fleming Pharmaceuticals.

Coria Laboratories has introduced the Cloderm Pump. The pump will be filled with cloderm cream 0.1 percent and will automatically control the amount of topical therapy dispensed for greater precision and safety. Cloderm cream is prescribed for the treatment of inflammation and pruritus associated with dermatoses. Each 30 g pump contains 100-metered doses for treating pediatric patients, facial dermatoses and localized areas of the body. “We believe the Cloderm Pump represents the future of topical corticosteroid delivery because it eliminates the difficulty many patients experience in trying to gauge the proper dosage,” said Dr. Duncan Aust, senior vice president of research and development of branded pharmaceuticals at Coria Laboratories.

PL Developments has acquired the assets of PAL Laboratories, which owns a manufacturing facility in Florida that PL will use to create a new subsidiary.

The new PL Developments’ subsidiary will be called Avema Pharma Solutions. Avema will focus on developing and manufacturing new products for the pharmaceutical, OTC and nutritional markets.

According to Mitchell Singer, president and chief executive officer of PL Developments, “We believe that the synergies between the two companies are substantial. This Food and Drug Administration inspected facility will allow us to develop and manufacture exciting new Rx/OTC products that we will be able to deliver to our retail partners, such as Wal-Mart, Costco, CVS and Walgreens.”