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PITTSBURGH — Mylan Inc. has launched generic versions of hormonal disorder treatment Sandostatin and ophthalmic solution Xalatan.
Mylan said this week that its subsidiary Bioniche Pharma has rolled out octreotide acetate injection prefilled syringes (PFS), a generic of Novartis’ Sandostatin medication for a rare hormonal disorder called acromegaly. Octreotide acetate injection is also used to suppress or inhibit severe diarrhea associated with metastatic carcinoid tumors and vasoactive intestinal peptide tumors, according to the company.
Octreotide acetate injection had U.S. sales of about $579 million in 2010, according to IMS Health data, Mylan said. The product was developed by Chemi and is being manufactured by Italfarmaco. Both companies are part of Italian Pharmaceutical Group.
"This approval is particularly important because it is the first and only PFS for this product — brand or generic — providing hospitals and clinics access to a preferred presentation that offers ease, accuracy and convenience of dosing," stated Mylan Institutional president Matt Erick. "The addition of octreotide acetate injection as Mylan Institutional’s first PFS is a critical next step in expanding our already diverse portfolio of injectable products."
Mylan Pharmaceuticals, meanwhile, is shipping latanoprost ophthalmic solution 0.005%, the generic version of Pharmacia and Upjohn’s Xalatan Ophthalmic Solution, an eyedrop that lowers pressure in the eye.
"We are very pleased to introduce this product to the market, as it represents Mylan’s first ophthalmic solution," Mylan president Heather Bresch commented. "This signifies a new internal development capability for the company, and we currently have in development a number of additional products in this important category."
Latanoprost ophthalmic solution had U.S. sales of about $711 million last year, based on IMS Health figures, according to Mylan.
