Next Choice nonprescription, too

Executive Summary

Watson Laboratories receives FDA's clearance for nonprescription sale of its Next Choice emergency contraceptive - a generic verson of Plan B (levonorgestrel 1.5 mg) - to consumers 17 and older as Plan B's original period of nonprescription exclusivity runs out for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Watson began shipping nonprescription Next Choice to major retail drug chains shortly after FDA's Aug. 28 approval of its abbreviated new drug application, with pharmacies in some markets expected to start selling the product the next day, said Patty Eisenhaur, the firm's VP of investor relations and corporate communications. The subsidiary of Morristown, N.J.-based Watson Pharmaceuticals previously received FDA's OK to market Next Choice as a prescription product and began shipping it early this summer. Teva carved out another three years of exclusivity in the branded nonprescription EC market with FDA's July approval of Plan B One-Step, which combines the two 0.75-mg doses of the original product into a single tablet (1"The Tan Sheet" July 20, 2009)