Generics

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Looking to further communicate the important role pharmacy plays in the healthcare delivery system, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson ran an opinion column in a "Medication Non-Adherence" supplement published Monday by Mediaplanet and distributed in The Washington Post.

WASHINGTON — Ten states could reap significant savings by increasing the use of generic drugs in their state Medicaid programs, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association said Monday in response to a report by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.

The report, “Overspending on Multi-Source Drugs in Medicaid,” by Alex Brill, identified states that overspend the most on their Medicaid programs, with California, Texas and Georgia topping the list.

NORTH WALES, Pa. — Teva Pharmaceuticals has launched a chewable birth control pill, the generic drug maker said Friday.

Teva announced the launch of Zeosa (norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol) tablets.

The drug is chemically equivalent to Warner Chilcott’s Femcon Fe tablets and is available in the 0.4 mg/0.035 mg strength.

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — A generic painkiller made by Watson Pharmaceuticals infringes a patent covering the branded version, a U.S. District Court ruled.

Watson said Friday that the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware decided that Watson’s generic version of Cephalon’s Fentora (fentanyl) buccal tablets infringes U.S. Patent No. 6,264,981, though the Food and Drug Administration had approved Watson’s version of the drug.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — "Dispense-as-written" prescriptions are exacerbating medication nonadherence and costing the U.S. healthcare system billions of dollars, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and CVS Caremark.

HYDERABAD, India — Indian generic drug maker may end its five-year stint as a retail pharmacy operator, according to published reports.

The Hindu Business Line reported Thursday that Natco was considering the sale of the SaveMart Pharmacy store in Lancaster, Pa.

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic treatment for shingles and genital herpes made by Actavis, the drug maker said Wednesday.

The FDA approved Actavis’ valacyclovir hydrochloride tablets in the 500-mg and 1-g strengths.

The drug is a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s Valtrex. Branded and generic forms of the drug had sales of about $1.5 billion in 2010, according to IMS Health.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic drug for cardiovascular disease made by Qualitest Pharmaceuticals.

Qualitest announced Thursday the approval of toresmide tablets in the 5-mg, 10-mg, 20-mg and 100-mg strengths.

The drug is used to treat edema associated with congestive heart failure, kidney disease or hepatic disease, and also for hypertension.