Stada Arz to launch generic Exforge in Europe

Germany’s Stada Arzneimittel (SAZ: Xetra) group says it will be one of the first manufacturers to launch generic amlodipine/valsartan products, following the revocation of Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) European patent. After the sales launch in Spain, numerous other Stada subsidiaries will launch the active ingredient combination in their markets, including Germany, the company announced.

The European Patent Office (EPO) decided last Monday, March 11, that the European Patent EP 2 322 174 of the original manufacturer Novartis, which protected the active ingredient combination amlodipine/valsartan, had been wrongly granted and consequently revoked it. Swiss pharma giant Novartis has previously been selling the active ingredient combination exclusively under the name Exforge.

“Amlodipine/valsartan is an important expansion of our portfolio of blood-pressure-lowering drugs and will make a positive contribution to our sales growth in 2019,” says chief executive Peter Goldschmidt, explaining the role of the product for Stada.