Teva launches imiquimod cream

NORTH WALES, Pa. — Teva Pharmaceutical Industries' U.S. subsidiary has launched a generic drug for treating warts and skin lesions, the company said.

Teva Pharmaceuticals announced the launch and availability of imiquimod cream, a generic version of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp.'s Aldara.

The drug is used to treat external genital and rectal warts, certain types of actinic keratosis and basal cell carcinoma. Various versions of the drug had sales of about $244 million in 2011, according to IMS Health.