Generics

PITTSBURGH — Generic drug maker Mylan has launched a version of a drug used to treat schizophrenia, the company said Friday.

Mylan announced the launch of risperidone orally disintegrating tablets in the 0.5-mg, 1-mg, 2-mg, 3-mg and 4-mg strengths.

The drug is a generic version of Johnson & Johnson’s Risperdal M-Tab. Various versions of risperidone orally disintegrating tablets had sales of about $61 million in 2010, according to IMS Health.

NEW YORK — Patients taking cardiovascular drugs may become less adherent if they have to see multiple physicians and make frequent trips to the pharmacy, according to a new study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston and CVS Caremark analyzed data from 1.8 million patients taking statins and 1.5 million taking angiotensin receptor blockers or angiotensin-converting enzymes from between June 2006 and May 2007.

WASHINGTON — More than 800 drugs are in development for diseases that affect women, according to a pharmaceutical industry lobbying group.

WASHINGTON — A new congressional caucus will look for ways to educate the public and members of Congress on how to reduce the country’s healthcare costs with affordable medicines.

Reps. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., will serve as chairwoman and chairman for the Congressional Affordable Medicines Caucus, whose formation was announced Thursday.

WASHINGTON — The National Consumers League and the U.S. surgeon general are launching a new campaign to educate patients about the risks of not properly taking their medications, the organization said.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark’s annual meeting of stockholders held Wednesday morning was an emotional and momentous occasion for the company as it marked the official retirement of Tom Ryan, former chairman and CEO, and the beginning of a new chapter as Larry Merlo takes the reigns as CEO.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — Drug maker Perrigo has reached a licensing agreement with Nycomed US that will allow it to launch a generic treatment for dermatitis in 2012, the company said.

Perrigo said it agreed to settle all Hatch-Waxman litigation relating to its generic version of Cutivate (fluticasone) lotion with Nycomed, allowing it to launch under a licensing agreement in September 2012.

Cutivate is used to treat dermatitis in patients ages 1 year and older and had sales of about $50 million during the 12-month period ended in February, according to Wolters Kluwer.

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration expects to approve an increasing number of drugs, according to published reports.

Reuters quoted FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research director Janet Woodcock as saying the number of drugs approved gradually could increase, already having reached a “nadir.” The report noted that 12 drugs had won approval this year so far, and Woodcock speculated that the agency would approve more than the 21 it approved last year.