Latanoprost eye drops from Actavis launched in European markets

Actavis Group has launched Latanoprost eye drops in seven major European markets, immediately after the patents expired in January.

In addition to the UK, France, Sweden, Ireland, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, the product will be available in Finland at market formation on 1 February, while Italy, Spain, Iceland, Switzerland, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have already launched the Actavis product.

At the same time, Actavis has launched Latanoprost / Timolol eye drops in Denmark, Finland and Ireland, immediately after patent expiry. The product will be marketed in Hungary and the Baltics later this month with more countries set to follow suit later this year.

Latanoprost and timolol are active pharmaceutical ingredients used to treat hypertension of the eye and certain kinds of glaucoma. Latanoprost Actavis is the generic equivalent Pfizer’s brand product Xalatan®, while Latanoprost / Timolol is the generic equivalent of Pfizer’s Xalacom®/ Xalcom®.

European sales for the brand products were about EUR335 million (latanoprost) and EUR112 million (latanoprost/timolol), for the year ending September 2011, according to IMS Health.