Healthcare Industry News: breakthrough cancer pain
News Release - September 27, 2006
Barr Launches Generic ACTIQ(R) Cancer Pain Management Product
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Sept. 27 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: BRL ) announced that its subsidiary, Barr Laboratories, Inc., has today launched a generic version of Cephalon Inc.'s ACTIQ® (oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate) [C-II], 200 mcg, 400 mcg, 600 mcg, 800 mcg, 1200 mcg, and 1600 mcg cancer pain management treatment product. Barr launched the product under the terms of a License Agreement previously granted to Barr by Cephalon in August 2004, pursuant to a Federal Trade Commission Order. The license grants Barr a non-exclusive right to sell a generic version of ACTIQ. Under the obligations of the agreement, Cephalon is currently supplying Barr with fentanyl citrate manufactured under Cephalon's New Drug Application (NDA), which Barr then has the right to sell and market. Barr's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) is currently under active review at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)."We are pleased that this patent settlement has enabled Barr to bring a more affordable, generic version of this critical pain management therapy to cancer patients earlier than otherwise would have been possible," said Bruce L. Downey, Barr's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "By launching this product, under the agreements with Cephalon, we are able to bring an additional option to patients that require this unique therapy."
ACTIQ is indicated for the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain in opioid tolerant patients and has current annual sales of approximately $590 million, based on IMS sales data for the twelve months ended July 2006.
Barr filed its ANDA for ACTIQ containing a paragraph IV certification with the FDA in October 2004. The Company received notification of the application's acceptance for filing in December 2004. Following receipt of the notice from the FDA, Barr notified Cephalon, the NDA holder and patent owner. On January 20, 2005, Cephalon filed suit in the U.S. District Court in Delaware to prevent Barr from proceeding with the commercialization of its product. In February 2006, Barr and Cephalon entered into an agreement to settle the patent infringement dispute and filed a dismissal with the Court to conclude the litigation between the parties regarding ACTIQ.
Under two agreements with Cephalon, Barr was provided a license for ACTIQ that was due to become effective on the earliest to occur of the following: (i) FDA approval of Cephalon's FENTORA® product; (ii) September 5, 2006, if Cephalon did not receive an extension of exclusivity based upon the completion of pediatric studies for ACTIQ; or (iii) December 6, 2006. On September 25, 2006 Cephalon received approval for its FENTORA product. In addition, Cephalon has not received the pediatric extension for ACTIQ, resulting in Barr's license having become effective as of September 5, 2006. As a result, Barr has launched its generic ACTIQ product.
About Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries, Barr Laboratories, Inc. and Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., develop, manufacture and market generic and proprietary pharmaceuticals.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, the statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements can be identified by their use of words such as "expects," "plans," "projects," "will," "may," "anticipates," "believes," "should," "intends," "estimates" and other words of similar meaning. Because such statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that cannot be predicted or quantified, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements depending upon a number of factors affecting the Company's business. These factors include, among others: the difficulty in predicting the timing and outcome of legal proceedings, including patent-related matters such as patent challenge settlements and patent infringement cases; the outcome of litigation arising from challenging the validity or non- infringement of patents covering our products; the difficulty of predicting the timing of FDA approvals; court and FDA decisions on exclusivity periods; the ability of competitors to extend exclusivity periods for their products; our ability to complete product development activities in the timeframes and for the costs we expect; market and customer acceptance and demand for our pharmaceutical products; our dependence on revenues from significant customers; reimbursement policies of third party payors; our dependence on revenues from significant products; the use of estimates in the preparation of our financial statements; the impact of competitive products and pricing on products, including the launch of authorized generics; the ability to launch new products in the timeframes we expect; the availability of raw materials; the availability of any product we purchase and sell as a distributor; the regulatory environment; our exposure to product liability and other lawsuits and contingencies; the increasing cost of insurance and the availability of product liability insurance coverage; our timely and successful completion of strategic initiatives, including integrating companies and products we acquire and implementing our new enterprise resource planning system; fluctuations in operating results, including the effects on such results from spending for research and development, sales and marketing activities and patent challenge activities; the inherent uncertainty associated with financial projections; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; and other risks detailed from time-to-time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statement was made. The Company undertakes no obligation (nor does it intend) to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required under applicable law.
Source: Barr Pharmaceuticals
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