New analytical and research and development laboratories were opened in a United States division of the international generic pharmaceutical company Actavis.

The labs help expand the research and development efforts for controlled release drugs and other technically difficult generic pharmaceutical products. Read the full story

Pharmaceutical giant Actavis has released a statement saying it’s business as normal for the global generic drugs company.

Actavis has said that its operations will not be impacted by the current financial turmoil in Iceland.
Actavis, which has its headquarters in Reykjavik, is a leading generic pharmaceuticals manufacturer with operations in 40 countries and 11,000 employees. Read the full story

The operations of generic pharmaceutical company Actavis will not be affected by the financial crisis in Iceland, the company reports.

Actavis, which has its headquarters in Reykjavik, is a leading generic pharmaceuticals manufacturer with operations in 40 countries and 11,000 employees.

Read the full story

Actavis, the generic drug manufacturer, has announced it has reduced the price of 40 pharmaceuticals on the Icelandic market from 1st October.

The move is a result of changes to Icelandic pharmaceutical laws which took effect from the beginning of this month. The reductions are similar to those that the company announced in May this year.

Read the full story

Actavis, a generic drug manufacturer based in Iceland, has received approval from the US Food & Drug Administration to market the generic drug equivalent of Wellbutrin XL.

Actavis will begin the distribution of Bupropion Hydrochloride extended-release tablets (XL) immediately which will be available in 300mg. They are the generic equivalent of Wellbutrin and are used in the treatment of major depressive disorders.

Annual sales of brand and generic Wellbutrin in the United States total around US$580 million according to IMS Health data.

Douglas Boothe, CEO of Actavis in the US said, “Bupropion XL compliments our existing Bupropion SR offerings and expands the dosage options for our customers and patients. This approval also highlights Actavis Group’s focus and expertise in bringing complex controlled-release technologies to the marketplace.”

Actavis is a leading generic drug manufacturer which operates in 40 countries around the world, of which the US is the company’s single largest market. Actavis’ US operations are located in New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina and Florida.

Actavis has announced a number of senior appointments at the international generic drugs company.

Gudbjorg Edda Eggertsdottir has been appointed as Deputy CEO, replacing Sigurdur Oli Olafsson who became CEO following last week‘s departure of Robert Wessman.

Doug Boothe will become the new CEO of Actavis United States whilst Valur Ragnarsson will become Executive Vice President of Third-Party Sales.

Ragnarsson will join the executive board of Actavis with immediate effect whilst Eggertsdottir and Boothe are already members.

Gudbjorg Edda Eggertsdottir joined Actavis following the company’s merger with Delta, where she had been Deputy CEO and Managing Director of Exports and Development since 1999. She was appointed Actavis’ Chief Executive of Third-Party Sales in 2002.

Valur Ragnarsson joined Medis, Actavis’ Third-Party Sales division in 2001 and was appointed Managing Director in October 2003. He has held the posts of Marketing Manager of Lundbeck in Iceland and later as Marketing Manager of Aventis.

Doug Boothe joined Actavis through the acquisition of Alpharma in 2005. During the past four years he has held a variety of management positions within the company, the most recent of which was Executive Vice President of U.S. Commercial and Administration.

Incoming Deputy CEO Gudbjorg Edda Eggertsdottir said, “Following the departure of Robert Wessman, it will continue to be business as usual at Actavis. We have an incredibly committed team that will continue to provide quick to market, low cost, high quality pharmaceuticals around the global marketplace.”

Actavis CEO Sigurdur Oli Olafsson said, “We have a world-class management team with global expertise. We fully intend to continue the remarkable Actavis growth story but our main focus this year will remain on internal growth.”

Actavis is one of the world’s leading generic drug companies specializing in the development, manufacture and sale of generic pharmaceuticals. Based in Iceland, the company has operations in 40 countries and 11,000 employees.

For more information on Actavis and generic drugs visit www.actavis.com.

Actavis, a generic drug company based in Iceland, has been given the go-ahead to sell the first ever oral antibiotic for chlamydia without prescription in the UK.

The new drug, Clamelle, will be launched in pharmacies later this year and will be available for people 16 years and over if they have tested positive for the infection and have no symptoms, as well as for their partners.

Individuals will be able to obtain over the counter (OTC) Clamelle following confirmation of diagnosis and a consultation with the pharmacist, and without a prescription from their GP or GUM clinic.

Chlamydia is the UK‘s most common sexually transmitted disease with rates of infection expected to increase further. During the period 2000 and 2005 the number of chlamydia infections rose by 14 per cent, with an estimated 1 per cent of women aged 16-19 having the often undetectable infection.

Sara Vincent, Country Manager Actavis UK said, “We are delighted to have been granted a pharmacy licence for Clamelle. This successful application is in line with Actavis UK’s programme of Prescription Only Medicine to Pharmacy switches, which is running in parallel with the expansion of the OTC brand portfolio through organic growth and strategic acquisitions.”

Actavis is now developing pharmacy training materials and launch plans for Clamelle in the UK, as well as a Clamelle branded chlamydia test kit.

Actavis is one of the world’s leading generic drug companies specializing in the development, manufacture and sale of generic pharmaceuticals. Based in Iceland, the company has operations in 40 countries, with 11,000 employees.

Robert Wessman has today stepped down as the CEO of Actavis, one of the world’s leading international generic drug companies.

He will be replaced by the Deputy CEO, Sigurdur Oli Olafsson. Actavis has said in a press release that Robert Wessman will focus more on his investment company, Salt Investments, but will continue to serve on the Actavis Board of Directors.

Sigurdur Oli Olafsson joined Actavis in 2003, after working for Pfizer UK from 1998 and moving to Pfizer US in 2001 to take a post in Global Research and Development. Prior to that, he served as Marketing Manager of Omega Farma (now part of Actavis), later becoming its Drug Development Manager. Olafsson became the Managing Director of Actavis Inc. in the US in 2003. He became Chief Executive of Corporate Development in 2004 and Chief Executive of Sales & Marketing International in 2005. He has been Deputy CEO since 2006.

Chairman of Actavis, Bjorgolfur Thor Bjorgolfsson, said: “Mr. Wessman has played an important role in shaping and realising Actavis’ vision and executing its successful strategy for growth. Under his management the company has become one of the five leading generic pharmaceutical companies in the world.“

Outgoing CEO Robert Wessman said, “The past years at Actavis have been a true adventure. I’m proud to look back at the tremendous growth of the company. Actavis is now in a solid position as a major global generic pharmaceutical player. I would like to thank the whole Actavis team for the partnership. This incredible group of people has in my mind pulled off an amazing achievement. I now look forward to moving on to new challenges where I will focus on my investment company, Salt Investments, that has been growing very fast during the past year.”

The new CEO of Actavis, Sigurdur Oli Olafsson, said, “Actavis is currently in a strong position among the top five generic pharmaceutical companies in the world. It is important to continue the remarkable Actavis growth story, so the position at the helm is an enormous responsibility to assume. I’m ready for the challenge and look forward to continuing work with our 11-thousand employees on the continued success of the Group.“

Olafsson went on to say; “Demand for generic pharmaceuticals is on the rise globally, independent of economic cycles. The development of new generic pharmaceuticals is among Actavis’ major strengths and I consider it one of our top priorities to use it to further strengthen our position in our key markets in Europe, North-America and Asia.”

For more information on Actavis and generic drugs visit www.actavis.com

Actavis, a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Iceland, has launched a generic drug for prostate cancer in the United Kingdom.

The drug Bicalutamide is the first generic version of the cancer drug to be made available in the UK and will be available in tablet form in 50mg and 150mg doses.

Actavis launched the product, which is the generic version of AstraZeneca’s Casodex, as soon as the brand product‘s UK patent expired on July 8th.

Svend Andersen, Actavis Executive Vice President of Western Europe Sales, said: “We are pleased to be the first generic pharmaceutical company to bring this product to the market – creating value for patients at a lower price. Bicalutamide….is used in treating prostate cancer and also in combination with other treatments of malign diseases, prescribed by both hospitals and general practitioners.”

Actavis also launched generic Bicalutamide in France and Germany on July 9th but the drug has been available in some countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland and Iceland since 2007.

Actavis is a leading generic pharmaceutical company which operates in 40 countries and has 11,000 employees.

More information on Actavis can be found at: www.actavis.com

Actavis, a generic drugs manufacturer based in Iceland, has completed the latest project in its campaign to make some of Bulgaria’s most important spiritual buildings more accessible to disabled people.

The new disabled access ramp to Varna’s Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral (Uspenie Bogorodichno) now means that the region’s largest church is accessible to disabled visitors. It follows the opening of Actavis first disabled access at the Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia last year.

Due to the architectural and cultural importance of the cathedral, a group of international specialists in restoration advised in the building process and matched the ramp to the overall style of the church.

Special marble in the art-deco style with dark grey and pink colours was used for the ramp facing the ancient coral pavement of the overhead road. The cost of the ramp amounts to BGN 200,000 (USD 160,000).

During the opening ceremony at Varna Cathedral, Donna Steiger, Chairman of the International Tribunal of crimes against humanity for disabled people, awarded Actavis for its “contribution to global development and special merits for cultural and social priorities for 2008”. The award was founded by the USA Senate and the UN.

For more information on Actavis, visit www.actavis.com