Teva Canada generic lung therapy approved by Health Canada

TORONTO — Teva Canada, a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, announced Tuesday that Health Canada has approved its application for the generic version of PrTarceva. Teva Canada will be the sole generic supplier of this treatment in Canada.

 

PrTeva-Erlotinib is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer after failure of at least one prior chemotherapy regimen, as well as monotherapy for maintenance treatment in patients with stable disease after four cycles of standard first-line chemotherapy.  PrTeva-Erlotinib is also indicated as monotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced (stage III b, not amenable to curative therapy) or metastatic (stage IV) NSCLC with EGFR activating mutations.

 

PrTarceva had annual sales of approximately $15 million in Canada, based on IMS Brogan sales data as of September 2014. PrTeva-Erlotinib is available immediately in pharmacies across Canada.

 

“With today’s announcement, Teva Canada’s industry-leading oncology portfolio, containing 23 drug products, is helping to mitigate the rising costs of cancer treatment in Canada,” stated Doug Sommerville, SVP and general manager of Teva Canada. “Adding PrTeva-Erlotinib to our ever-expanding portfolio of oncology products demonstrates our ongoing commitment to playing a critical role in the sustainability of the healthcare system.”

 

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada, and the Canadian Cancer Society estimates that in 2014 there will be 26,100 new cases diagnosed, representing 14% of all new cancer cases this year. The most common malignant tumour found in the lung is non-small cell lung cancer, accounting for 85% to 90% of all lung cancers.