NEW YORK (AP) – ViroPharma Inc. said that three companies are now selling low-cost generic versions of its drug Vancocin, an antibiotic that brings in half of ViroPharma’s revenue.
ViroPharma didn’t identify the companies. But Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Akorn Inc. confirmed they received marketing approval for their versions of Vancocin and are launching their equivalents.
ViroPharma reported $288.9 million in revenue from Vancocin, or vancomycin, in 2011. The drug is used to treat diarrhea associated with the bacterium C. difficile and for gastrointestinal infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Regulators approved a new label for Vancocin in December that included new data on the drug’s effectiveness and safety as a treatment for C. difficile. The company said it believed the new label would keep competing generics off the market for three years.
ViroPharma said the FDA determined that it is not entitled to any new marketing exclusivity based on the changes to the Vancocin label. The Exton, Pa., company said it will file an injunction in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and ask the court to set aside the approvals of the generic versions of Vancocin.
Watson of Parsippany, N.J. and Akorn of Lake Forest, Ill., are each selling generic vancomycin in two strengths.
Date: April 10, 2012
Source: Associated Press
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
