Sandoz announces launch of piperacillin and tazobactam for injection, a generic version of Zosyn®
Princeton, New Jersey; October 21, 2010 - Sandoz today announced the launch of piperacillin and tazobactam for injection, a generic equivalent of Zosyn®, in the US. Piperacillin and tazobactam for injection is an antibacterial treatment indicated for use in adults with certain types of moderate to severe infections caused by piperacillin-resistant, piperacillin/tazobactam susceptible, β-lactamase producing strains.
"Sandoz has a long history of global leadership in developing high-quality, affordable anti-infective medicines," said Don DeGolyer, President of Sandoz Inc. "The US launch of piperacillin and tazobactam for injection, or generic Zosyn®, further strengthens our portfolio in this key field as well as our commitment to differentiated products, including injectables."
According to IMS Health, branded and generic versions of piperacillin and tazobactam for injection had US sales of approximately USD 797 million for the 12 months ending in August 2010. Sandoz is marketing piperacillin and tazobactam for injection in 2.25 g, 3.375 g and 4.5 g vials, the same standard vial strengths marketed for Zosyn®.
Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "launch," "commitment," or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential future revenues from piperacillin and tazobactam for injection. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Company regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that piperacillin and tazobactam for injection will achieve any particular levels of revenue in the future. In particular, management's expectations could be affected by, among other things, competition in general; government, industry and general public pricing pressures; unexpected patent litigation outcomes; unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; unexpected manufacturing issues; unexpected inabilities by generic manufacturers to obtain or maintain exclusivity periods for generic piperacillin and tazobactam for injection; the impact that the foregoing factors could have on the values attributed to the Novartis Group's assets and liabilities as recorded in the Group's consolidated balance sheet, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of Page 2 of 2 these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About Sandoz Sandoz, a Division of the Novartis group, is a global leader in the field of generic pharmaceuticals, offering a wide array of high-quality, affordable products that are no longer protected by patents. Sandoz has a portfolio of about 1000 compounds and sells its products in more than 130 countries. Key product groups include antibiotics, treatments for central nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal medicines, cardiovascular treatments and hormone therapies. Sandoz develops, produces and markets these medicines along with pharmaceutical and biotechnological active substances and anti-infectives. In addition to strong organic growth in recent years, Sandoz has made a series of acquisitions including Lek (Slovenia), Sabex (Canada), Hexal (Germany), Eon Labs (US), EBEWE Pharma (Austria) and Oriel Therapeutics (US). In 2009, Sandoz employed around 23,000 people worldwide and posted sales of USD 7.5 billion. * * * For further information Sandoz US Communications: Ted Deutsch +1 609 627 5287 Sandoz Global Communications: Marija Mandic +49 8024 476 2597 Zosyn® is a registered trademark of Wyeth.