Taiwan generics maker TWi adds ophthalmic asset

Taipei-based generics maker TWi Pharmaceuticals (4180: TWO) has bought Synpac-Kingdom Pharmaceutical (SKP), another generics supplier known for ophthalmic treatments, for NT$1.8 billion ($59.8 million), reports The Pharma Letter’s China correspondent Wang Fangqing.

The deal is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

A major supplier to the US market, TWi sells complex generics including the dementia treatment donepezil hydrochloride tablets, a generic version of Eisai (TYO: 4523) and Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) Aricept, and the angina drug Nifedipine extended-release tablets, which was originally made by Bayer (BAYN: DE). In early November, it received approval of its Abbreviated New Drug (ANDA) application for the antidepressant bupropion Hcl ER, a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s (LSE: GSK) Wellbutrin (bupropion), from the US Food and Drug Administration.