AstraZeneca to halt Cefotan sales

Executive Summary

AstraZeneca will discontinue sales of the injectable antibiotic Cefotan after current inventory is depleted in March 2006. Bulk active ingredient supplier Astellas (formerly Yamanouchi) has stopped production of cefotetan, as has sterile end product manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca says. The company began notifying hospitals and wholesaler customers two years ago about the pending inventory depletion and potential therapeutic alternatives, including Merck's Mefoxin (cefoxitin). Cefotan global net sales in 2004 were $39.6 mil., with most of those in the U.S, AstraZeneca notes...