Actavis launches Olanzapine on day one in four European countries
Zug, Switzerland, 5 May 2011 - Actavis Group, the world's fourth largest generic pharmaceutical company, launched Olanzapine tablets in Spain, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary immediately after the patents expired on 24 April.
Olanzapine is the generic equivalent of the brand product Zyprexa® from Eli Lilly. It is used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. The product is launched in two forms by Actavis at this time; as film coated tablets in Bulgaria, orodispersible tablets in Slovakia and Hungary, and in both forms in Spain.
Olanzapine Actavis was developed at Actavis' R&D site in Hafnarfjordur, Iceland and produced at the Company's manufacturing site in Malta.
Actavis launched Olanzapine in Germany in September 2007, after a German Patent Court ruled that Lilly's patent was invalid, making the launch of a generic version possible. In other European countries, the patents for Olanzapine will in most cases expire in September 2011.
Enquiries
Actavis Group
Hjordis Arnadottir
Director - External Communications
Tel: (+41) (0)41 462 7300
E-mail: [email protected]
About Actavis Group
Actavis is one of the world's leading generic pharmaceutical companies specializing in the development, manufacture and sale of generic pharmaceuticals. The company has operations in over 40 countries, with more than 10,000 employees. For further information on Actavis Group, please visit www.actavis.com
Any statements contained in this press release that refer to Actavis' estimated or anticipated future results or future activities are forward-looking statements which reflect the Company's current analysis of existing trends, information and plans. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially depending on factors such as the availability of resources, the timing and effect of regulatory actions, the success of new products, the strength of competition, the success of research and development issues, unexpected contract breaches or terminations, exposure to product liability and other lawsuits, the effect of currency fluctuations and other factors.