Search is Powered by Google
Follow us on:
Follow our health news on Twitter
Follow Our News on Facebook
Personalization
login | register
Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry News

FDA Approves Three Generic Versions Of Merck Statin Zocor

Main Category: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Article Date: 28 Jun 2006 - 23:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:5 stars

5 (1 votes)

Health Professional:4 stars

4 (1 votes)

Article Opinions: 0 posts

On Friday, the first day after Merck's loss of patent exclusivity for the statin Zocor, FDA approved three generic versions of the drug, the Wall Street Journal reports. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals for the next 180 days will have exclusive rights to sell generic Zocor, generically known as simvastatin. Teva will sell 5-, 10-, 20- and 40-milligram versions, while Ranbaxy will sell an 80-milligram pill. The generic versions are available at a price that is about 30% less than Zocor's. In addition, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories will sell all five dosages of simvastatin under an agreement with Merck to be the authorized generic manufacturer of the drug. FDA's decision came hours after U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth denied a motion by Sandoz, Novartis' generic drug unit, to delay the agency's approval of generic versions. Lamberth said the delay could damage the finances of Teva and Ranbaxy and could restrict the public's access to affordable drugs (Won Tesoriero/Zhang, Wall Street Journal, 6/24). FDA estimated that generic versions of Zocor and other generic drugs approved this week -- versions of baldness drug Propecia, prostate drug Proscar and epilepsy treatment Lamictal -- could result in $1 billion per year in savings. Rob Seidman, chief pharmacy officer for WellPoint, said 12 million Medicare Part D beneficiaries who use statins could generate $8.2 billion in savings per year if they switched to generic versions (CQ HealthBeat, 6/23).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

View drug information on Lamictal; Propecia; Proscar.





Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Hemophilia Opioid Induced Constipation Pneumococcal Disease ADHD Anxiety Asthma Atrial Fibrillation Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Please fill in our survey

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
NUCYNTA(TM) (tapentadol) CII Immediate Release Tablets Now Available For Relief Of Moderate To Severe Acute Pain
24 Jun 2009
Patients suffering from acute pain and healthcare professionals who treat pain have a new treatment option: NUCYNTA(TM) (tapentadol) CII immediate release tablets. This new medication for the relief of moderate to severe...


Keeping Seniors Safe in the Heat
Keeping Seniors Safe in the Heat

Keeping cool this summer means avoiding heat stroke, the most serious heat-related illness, and heat exhaustion, a milder affliction but still a dangerous one. Older people are especially vulnerable to both.

more videos are available in our health videos section.