Generic launches of irinotecan, Primaxin and Merrem

Japan’s ASKA Pharmaceuticals has announced the launch of irinotecan, the active ingredient of Campto (originated by Rhone-Poulenc, now a Sanofi legacy company), the first oncology product from Icelandic generics group Actavis in Japan.

This product is an anticancer agent which inhibits the topoisomerase I, and ASKA obtained the marketing approval on July 15, 2011 and the National Health Insurance listing on November 28, 2011.

This product is supplied from the Swiss based unit of Actavis which is marketing the generic products in oncology field globally and is distributed through Takeda Pharmaceutical. Actavis has already launched irinotecan in more than 35 countries. Irinotecan Actavis is produced by the company's Romanian facility, which is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency and the Japanese regulatory authorities.