Forest Laboratories Inc sales and marketing update
Forest said it will now continue marketing its 5 and 10 mg tablets of immediate-release Namenda memantine for Alzheimer’s disease into this fall to continue optimizing the manufacturing process for Namenda XR memantine, a once-daily, extended-release formulation of memantine. Previously, the company -- which is in the process of converting patients to Namenda XR -- planned to stop sales on Aug 15. A U.S. method of use patent for 5 and 10 mg tablets of Namenda was set to expire on April 11, 2015. Last week, Forest said FDA granted pediatric exclusivity for Namenda and Namenda XR, which extends patent protection for the drugs by six months to Oct. 11, 2015. Forest anticipates generic entry for Namenda “sometime” in July 2015. Including pediatric exclusivity, the latest patent expiration for Namenda XR is Sept. 24, 2029. ...