The FINANCIAL — Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., on June 12 announced the launch of generic Zetia®1 (ezetimibe) tablets, 10 mg, in the U.S.
Ezetimibe is a prescription medicine used to lower levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood. Ezetimibe tablets are for patients who cannot control their cholesterol levels by diet and exercise alone. It can be used by itself or with other medicines to treat high cholesterol. Ezetimibe tablets work to reduce the amount of cholesterol the body absorbs, according to Teva.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), approximately one third of American adults (73.5 million people) have high LDL cholesterol.2 Fewer than 50% of these individuals are being treated for high LDL cholesterol, and approximately 30% have their condition under control.2,3 People with high blood cholesterol are at risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States.
“Despite advances in the treatment of high cholesterol in recent years, many people are still living with active disease and are in need of additional generic therapeutic options,” said Dipankar Bhattacharjee, Teva’s President and CEO, Global Generic Medicines. “We are excited to add another strong generic to our U.S. portfolio and see potential to build on its success by leveraging our expertise in the cardiovascular area.”
Teva is committed to strengthening its generics business through continued investment in complex, high-quality products. With nearly 600 generic medicines available, Teva has the largest portfolio of FDA-approved generic products on the market and holds the leading position in first-to-file opportunities, with over 100 pending first-to-files in the U.S. Currently, one in six generic prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. is filled with a Teva product.
Ezetimibe tablets had annual sales of approximately $2.7 billion in the U.S., according to IMS data as of March 2017.
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