Allergan reports strong 4th-qtr results

California, USA-based Allergan says that its net sales in the quarter ended December 31, 2005, were $594.9 million, an increase of 11.3% on the year-earlier comparable period. The firm's earnings per share for the period also increased to $0.90 from $0.85 achieved during the fourth-quarter of 2004.

The company says that a key factor in its prosperity in 2005 was the long-term agreement which it signed with UK drug major GlaxoSmithKilne to develop and promote Allergan's Botox (botulinum toxin type-a) in Japan and China. The deal also covers the co-promotion of GSK's Imitrex STATdose system (sumatriptan) and Amerge (naratriptan hydrochloride), in the USA.

Additionally, in the reported quarter the group entered into a promotion agreement with NPS Pharmaceuticals to market Restasis (cyclosporine opthalmic emulsion 0.05%) to the US Rheumatology sector. On December 29 Allergan was granted a temporary restraining order in the Acular patent infringement case against Apotex and Novex Pharma, under which the latter two firms are banned from commercial production, marketing or importation of generic Acular (ketorlac tromethamine opthalmic solution), into the USA.