Pharmacia, Novartis sales of ophthalmic meds increase

Novartis posted solid financial gains for its second quarter, with its ophthalmics division showing a 13% rise in sales. Leading the way for the Swiss-based company was Visudyne (verteporfin), which increased sales 35% worldwide. Currently, the drug is approved for treatment of choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration in 60 countries and is approved in more than 40 countries for additional uses. Novartis expects European Union approval for use in occult AMD toward the end of the third quarter of this year.

CIBA Vision also increased its sales during the quarter, driven by its high-volume contact lens business. The company’s Vivarte, an anterior chamber phakic refractive lens, was launched in Europe during the quarter as well.

Pharmacia, which last week announced it agreed to be acquired by rival Pfizer, posted an increase in sales of 4% for its second quarter, led by sales of Xalatan and an anti-arthritic medication. Xalatan (latanoprost), the “world's top-selling glaucoma medication,” increased sales 22%, according to a company press release. Part of the large growth is being attributed to European approval of the drug as a first-line glaucoma therapy. Xalatan is also approved in Japan as a first-line treatment.