Daiichi Sankyo Espha Launches Nine New Generic Drugs

Daiichi Sankyo and its generics subsidiary, Daiichi Sankyo Espha, have launched nine new generic drugs. The company announced the product rollouts in a press release, stating that the products include three new active ingredients. Products include a broad-spectrum oral antibacterial agent, a persistent angiotensin II receptor antagonist, and an anti-malignant tumor agent.

One of these new products is based off of the Cravit brand tablets, broad-spectrum oral antibacterials. Espha has produced Cravit generics named Levofloxacin Tablets in 250mg, 500 mg, and Granules 10%. Blopress brand Tablets are persistent angiotensin II receptor antagonists. Espha has produced Candesartan Tablets in 4mg, 8mg, and 12 mg dosage strengths that duplicate Blopress’ action. Elplat brand I.V. Infusion Solution is an anti-malignant tumor agent. The generic for Elplat is Oxaliplatin I.V. Infusion Solution in 50 and 100 mg strength.

This announcement comes six months after its announcement that it had rolled out six new products with three new active ingredients.

Daiichi Sankyo Espha

Daiichi Sankyo created Daiichi Sankyo Espha in April 2010 due to the rising demand for generics. Espha manufactures and markets generic drugs for diverse medical needs. It is known for its strategy of printing on both sides of tablets, engineering new formulations, and improving labeling. For example, Espha printed the product name, dosage, and company name on Valsartan Tablets and Losarhyd Combination Tablets to make it easier for patients to distinguish. It changed the secant line on tablets to make them easier to break in two and reduced the size of tablets by 17 percent to make them easier to swallow. The company also began printing GS1 data barcodes to prevent medication errors.

Daiichi Sankyo Activities

In addition to releasing nine new generics in December 2014 and six generics in June 2014 through its Espha subsidiary, the company has been busy acquiring Ambit Biosciences. Daiichi Sankyo purchased all of the outstanding shares for cash and promised to pay Ambit shareholders milestone payments related to commercialization successes. The deal brought quizartinib, in Phase 3 clinical trials for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), to Daiichi Sankyo. Joji Nakayama, Daiichi Sankyo President and CEO, said, "We are very pleased to complete the acquisition of Ambit Biosciences, and we look forward to continuing to advance quizartinib in light of its potential to significantly improve outcomes for patients with very few options.”