Biovail launches Ralivia to Canadian physicians

Canada's Biovail Corp says that Ralivia, its once-daily tramadol formulation, has been officially launched in on the domestic market, and is now commercially available. The product is indicated for the management of pain of moderate severity in patients who require continuous treatment for several days or more.

The features and benefits of Ralivia, which received a Notice of Compliance from the Therapeutic Products Directorate on August 31, are being introduced to health care professionals throughout the country by Biovail Pharmaceuticals Canada, a sales and marketing division.

"For patients with chronic pain, Ralivia provides comparable efficacy to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and COX-2 inhibitors without the long-term cardiovascular and gastrointestinal risks associated with their continuous use," said Scott Smith, vice president and general manager of BPC. "Ralivia is the only once-daily tramadol formulation that has also been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and the only one with over 20 months of US patient experience, during which time approximately 1.6 million prescriptions have been written. Further, Ralivia is the only tramadol formulation indicated for continuous use," he added.