FDA approves Lannet's generic Ionamin

PHILADELPHIA Lannet has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its application for phentermine hydrochloride capsules 30 mg.

Phentermine, the generic version of Celltech Pharmaceuticals’ Ionamin, is indicated for the short-term management of obesity. According to Wolters Kluwer, sales of phentermine HCI capsules exceeded $37 million for the 12 months ended October 2007.

“This approval complements our phentermine HCI Tablet 37.5 mg which is the generic equivalent of Adipex-P, marketed by Gate Pharmaceuticals, a division of Teva, and is an important addition to our product portfolio,” said Arthur Bedrosian, president and chief executive officer of Lannett. “Through the hard work and dedication of our research and development team, we continue to build a robust pipeline despite a tremendous backlog of product applications pending at the FDA.”

The company expects to commence marketing this product immediately.