The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic
versions of Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) Levaquin antibiotic
Monday, including versions by Mylan Inc. (MYL) and Teva
Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA, TEVA.TV).
The FDA approved the generic, levofloxacin, for 12 companies in
tablet, oral-solution and injectable-solution forms.
In its most recent quarterly results, Levaquin and another
antibiotic, Floxin, accounted for $434 million of J&J revenue,
or about 7.2% of total pharmaceutical product revenue.
The companies that the FDA approved to make the copycat Levaquin
include Akorn Inc. (AKRX), Aurobindo Pharma Ltd. (524804.BY), Dr.
Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. (500124.BY, RDY), Glenmark
Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (532296.BY), Lupin Ltd. (500257.BY), Sagent
Pharmaceuticals Inc. (SGNT), Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
(500420.BY) and Wockhardt Ltd. (532300.BY), in addition to Teva and
Mylan. The FDA also approved the generic for Hi-Tech Drugs Ltd.
-By Joan E. Solsman, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2291;
joan.solsman@dowjones.com