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PRINCETON, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Bristol-Myers Squibb for injection under the skin to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Bristol said Friday.

The New York-based drug maker said the approval of Orencia (abatacept) for subcutaneous injection in patients with moderate to severe RA made it the first biotech drug for RA available in self-injectable and intravenous infusion formulations.

INDIANAPOLIS — A federal court has upheld Eli Lilly's patent covering a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Lilly said Friday.

Lilly said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey that had invalidated Lilly's patent for Strattera (atomoxetine) in a patent infringement case that Lilly had filed against generic drug maker Actavis, when the latter sought regulatory approval for a generic version of Strattera.

NEW DELHI — Eli Lilly’s India division and Indian generic drug maker Lupin will distribute Lilly’s insulin products in India and Nepal under an agreement between the two companies announced Friday.

Under the collaboration, Lilly and Lupin will promote and distribute Huminsulin R, Huminsulin NPH, Huminsulin 50/50, Huminsulin 30/70 and Humapen Ergo II. The companies said the deal would double the current customer base.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck disclosed plans to reduce its workforce by 12% to 13% by the end of 2015, the company announced Friday in its second-quarter earnings release.

JERUSALEM — Teva Pharmaceuticals has launched an authorized generic version of a contraceptive made by Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Teva said.

Teva announced the launch of Camrese, an authorized generic of Duramed’s Seasonique (levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets and ethinyl estradiol tablets).

The launch of Teva’s authorized generic follows the launch of Watson Pharmaceuticals’ generic version of the drug, which it is marketing under the name Amethia.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has asked Eisai to redo its regulatory application for a drug to treat epilepsy, Eisai said Friday.

The drug maker said the FDA issued a refusal to file letter in response to its application for perampanel, designed to treat partial-onset seizures in patients with epilepsy. In the letter, the FDA requested reformatting and reanalyses of some datasets, though Eisai said new studies probably were unnecessary.

NEW YORK — Pfizer has entered a definitive agreement to acquire a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development of pain treatments.

Pfizer, which currently owns a near 11% stake in Icagen, will acquire the company's remaining 8.3 million shares. The aggregate transaction value, which includes the value of the shares currently owned by Pfizer, is about $56 million.

The two companies entered a discovery, development and commercialization collaboration in 2007, which sought to create potential treatments for pain and related disorders.

PHILADELPHIA — GlaxoSmithKline expects to close the deal on the divestiture of several over-the-counter brands that were identified in April, the company stated Tuesday as part of its second-quarter earnings results.

"The divestment of noncore OTC assets in the [United States] and Europe will further aid our strategy to accelerate growth and increase the focus of our Consumer Healthcare business," GSK stated. "We are making progress to divest these products by late 2011, subject to realizing appropriate value for shareholders."