25 March 2019 - - Israeli genericas specialist Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., (NYSE: TEVA) (TASE: TEVA) has launched a generic version of Exjade (deferasirox) Tablets for Oral Suspension, 125 mg, 250 mg and 500 mg, in the US, the company said.

Deferasirox Tablets for Oral Suspension are an iron chelator indicated for the treatment of chronic iron overload due to blood transfusions in patients two years of age and older.

With nearly 500 generic medicines available, Teva has the largest portfolio of FDA-approved generic products on the market and holds the leading position in first-to-file opportunities, with over 100 pending first-to-files in the US.

Currently, one in eight generic prescriptions dispensed in the US is filled with a Teva generic product.

Exjade had annual sales of USD 134m in the US, according to IQVIA data as of December 2018.

Deferasirox Tablets for Oral Suspension are indicated for the treatment of chronic iron overload due to blood transfusions (transfusional hemosiderosis) in patients 2 years of age and older.

Controlled clinical trials of deferasirox with myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic iron overload due to blood transfusions have not been performed.

The safety and efficacy of deferasirox when administered with other iron chelation therapy have not been established.

Nonfatal upper GI irritation, ulceration and hemorrhage have also been reported in patients, including children and adolescents, receiving deferasirox.

The risk of gastrointestinal hemorrhage may be increased when administering deferasirox in combination with drugs that have ulcerogenic or hemorrhagic potential, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, oral bisphosphonates, or anticoagulants.

There have been reports of ulcers complicated with gastrointestinal perforation (including fatal outcome).

Neutropenia, agranulocytosis, worsening anemia, and thrombocytopenia, including fatal events, have been reported in patients treated with deferasirox.

Preexisting hematologic disorders may increase this risk.

Deferasirox has been associated with serious and fatal adverse reactions in the postmarketing setting among adults, predominantly in elderly patients.

Deferasirox has been associated with serious and fatal adverse reactions in pediatric patients in the postmarketing setting.

Deferasirox may cause serious hypersensitivity reactions (such as anaphylaxis and angioedema), with the onset of the reaction usually occurring within the first month of treatment.

Severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) which could be life-threatening or fatal have been reported during deferasirox therapy.

Cases of erythema multiforme have been observed. Rashes may occur during deferasirox treatment.

Auditory disturbances (high frequency hearing loss, decreased hearing), and ocular disturbances (lens opacities, cataracts, elevations in intraocular pressure, and retinal disorders) were reported at a frequency of less than 1% with deferasirox therapy in the clinical studies.

The frequency of auditory adverse events irrespective of causality was increased among pediatric patients who received deferasirox doses greater than 25 mg/kg/day when serum ferritin was less than 1,000 mcg/L.

In clinical trials of patients with transfusional iron overload, the most frequently occurring (greater than 5%) adverse reactions for deferasirox were diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, skin rashes, and increases in serum creatinine.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is in generic medicines, with innovative treatments in select areas, including CNS, pain and respiratory.