FDA tenatively approves Teva pink eye generic

ROCKVILLE, Md. The Food and Drug Administration has given tentative approval to Teva Pharmaceutical Industries for its generic version of a drug for eye infections, FDA records showed.

The agency gave Teva the tentative approval for its moxifloxacin hydrochloride ophthalmic solution in the 0.5% strength. The solution is a generic version of Alcon’s Vigamox, which is used to treat bacterial conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye.

Alcon does not list the sales figures for Vigamox, though it reported sales of drugs to treat infections and inflammations of $882.5 million for 2008 in Securities and Exchange Commission filings.