ACTAVIS LAUNCHES THREE GENERIC DRUGS IN EUROPE

Iceland-based drugmaker Actavis has announced the launch of the prostate drug finasteride in Spain, Portugal and Slovenia, the antidepressant mirtazapine in France and the antiepileptic drug topiramate in Portugal.

Finasteride, the generic equivalent of Merck's Proscar, is used for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and will be sold as 5-mg tablets. Annual brand product sales amounted to 600 million euros worldwide in 2006, according to Actavis.

Mirtazapine is the generic equivalent of Organon's Remeron and will be sold as orally disintegrating tablets of 15, 30 and 45 mg. Annual brand product sales were approximately 200 million euros worldwide last year, the company said.

Topiramate is the generic equivalent of Janssen-Cilaq's Topimax and is used to treat epilepsy. The drug will be sold in dosages of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg.

Each of these products will be marketed by Actavis' European sales force and through Medis, Actavis' third-party sales division.