LAKE FOREST, Ill., June 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Hospira,
Inc. (NYSE: HSP), the world leader in generic injectable
pharmaceuticals, today announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approval for meropenem for injection, USP
(I.V.) 500 mg and 1 g vials. The medication, a carbapenem
that belongs to the beta-lactam class of antibiotics, is a generic
version of AstraZeneca’s Merrem® I.V.
Sales of the name-brand product in the United States were approximately
$200 million in 2009.
“This is the first generic carbapenem approved in the United States, and will help propel
Hospira to a position of leadership in this category of
antibiotics,” said Thomas Moore,
president, Hospira, U.S. Region. “Hospira is committed to
continuing to reduce the cost of healthcare spending by providing
savings with first-to-market generic launches.”
Meropenem represents the first U.S. drug launch from Hospira’s
recent acquisition of the generic injectables business of Orchid
Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. Beta-lactam antibiotics
represent a class of drugs with a wide spectrum of antibacterial
activity. The U.S. market value of beta-lactam molecules is more
than $1 billion, based on 2009 sales,
according to IMS Health.
Hospira’s specialty injectable pharmaceuticals (SIP) offering
includes approximately 200 generic injectable drugs in many dosages
and formulations. In addition, many of its products are
available in popular differentiated presentations, several of which
are proprietary
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