Santarus launches Zegerid caps in USA

Santarus, a US specialty pharmaceutical company focused on therapies for gastrointestinal diseases and disorders, has launched its of Zegerid (omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate) capsules 40mg/1,100mg and 20mg/1,100mg, an immediate-release proton pump inhibitor. The product, which the firm says is the first and only immediate-release oral PPI in conventional capsule form, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on February 27.

Capsules and swallowable tablets are the most frequently-prescribed dosage forms for patients taking PPIs, constituting more than 98% of the PPI prescription market. The PPIsector, including five delayed-release PPI brands, had US prescription sales of $12.8 billion in 2005, according to IMS Health.

Santarus is launching Zegerid with a combined sales force with its co-promotion partner Otsuka America Pharmaceutical of around 370 representatives who are targeting 26,000 of the highest PPI-prescribing physicians in the USA. Independent research has indicated that these targeted physicians wrote prescriptions that accounted for approximately $4.4 billion in PPI sales during 2005, the company says.