Spear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. received FDA approval for, and began shipping, Fluorouracil Cream 5%, USP, a generic equivalent to Valeant's Efudex(R) Cream. On April 11, 2008, the FDA approved the ANDA (Abbreviated New Drug Application) based on Spear's 318 patient study proving bioequivalence to Efudex(R) for the precancerous Actinic Keratoses (AK) skin condition, the indication for which the product is overwhelmingly prescribed (approximately 98% of patients). The product is also useful in the treatment of superficial basal cell carcinoma (sBCC).
Since December 2004, Valeant Pharmaceuticals has taken action to make it far more difficult for any generic Efudex(R) product to gain FDA approval (Efudex(R) was first approved in 1970 and has been off patent for 20 years.) Specifically, Valeant filed in December, 2004 a Citizen Petition that delayed the approval of the Spear generic product from the industry average of 16.6 months to 39 months.
The details can be read here.
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