Generics

ATLANTA — Rates of five major diabetes-related complications have declined substantially in the last 20 years among U.S. adults with diabetes, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Akorn on Thursday announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Hi-Tech Pharmacal for $640 million in cash. The combination of Akorn and Hi-Tech will transform the company into a larger, more diversified generic player, the company stated. This combination also brings critical mass and scale to Akorn’s business and strengthens the company’s position with retail and institutional customers.

HYDERABAD, India — Dr. Reddy's Labs announced the launch of eszopiclone tablets (C-IV) in 1-mg, 2-mg and 3-mg form. The drug is the generic version of Lunesta (eszopiclone) tablets.

The Lunesta tablets brand and generic combined had sales in the United States of approximately $887 million for the most recent twelve months ending in January 2014, according to IMS Health. Dr. Reddy's eszopiclone tablets 1-mg is available in bottle counts of 30; 2-mg and 3-mg tablets are available in bottle counts of 100.

BALTIMORE — Cases of diabetes and pre-diabetes in the United States have nearly doubled since 1988, suggests new research released Tuesday from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with obesity apparently to blame for the surge. The researchers also found that the burden of the disease has not hit all groups equally, with alarming increases in diabetes in blacks, Hispanics and the elderly.

OXFORD, England  — Prosonix, a speciality pharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of inhaled respiratory medicines by Design, on Tuesday announced that it has entered into a global licensing agreement with Mylan for its leading inhaled respiratory products, PSX1001 and PSX1050.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Total spending on U.S. medicines increased 1% on a real per capita basis in 2013, while the use of healthcare services overall rose for the first time in three years, according to a new report issued today by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.

PITTSBURGH — Mylan announced that it has launched eszopiclone tablets in 1 mg, 2 mg and 3 mg form. The drug — which is used for the treatment of insomnia — is the generic version of Lunesta from Sunovion Pharmaceuticals.

Mylan received final approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its abbreviated new drug application. Eszopiclone tablets had sales in the U.S. of approximately $851.8 million for the 12 months ending Dec 31, 2013, according to IMS Health.

PEAPACK, N.J. — Greenstone, a generic pharmaceutical subsidiary of Pfizer, announced the introduction of amlodipine besylate/atorvastatin calcium tablets to its roster of products. The drug is the authorized generic versions of Caduet.