Actavis drops retail launch
May 17, 2012
GENERIC pharmaceutical supplier
Actavis has cancelled its planned
launch into Australian retail
pharmacy, with 15 employees due
to start with the company this
week given the bad news on Sun.
Switzerland-based Actavis
spokesman Frank Staud last night
confirmed the move, telling
Pharmacy Daily that “due to
regulatory and patent issues we
have had to rethink our retail
launch strategy in Australia”.
Staud said that the launch was
based around Atorvastatin and
Rosuvastatin, and that despite the
setback the company’s hospital
business is “doing very well due to
quality EU manufactured oncology
products” such as Neotigason and
Rapilysin.
Actavis has had a presence in
Australia for some time, and in
2008 announced an exclusive
EXCLUSIVE distribution agreement to offer its
in retail pharmacy in partnership
with Generic Health, which is now
headed up by former Sigma
Pharmaceuticals boss Elmo de
Alwis.
For now, Actavis is focusing on its
successful hospital pharmacy
portfolio which Staud said includes
Para IV which has “offered a
tremendous price relief to hospital
pharmacies”.
Staud said that the rethink of the
retail launch strategy meant that
the company “hopes to be ready
within the next two to three
months”.
Actavis is the subject of a pending
takeover by rival generics giant
Watson Pharmaceuticals (PD 26
Apr) but Staud said the suspension
of the retail plan has nothing to do
with the acquisition.
“We are running the two
companies completely separately
until the closing of the transaction,”
he said.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 17 May 12To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 17 May 12
