BLOG: The AzaSite odyssey continues
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This must be what it was like for political columnists during the Trump years: an endless, ever-flowing font of material to work with.
As a writer, I guess I should be thankful that AzaSite (azithromycin ophthalmic solution) has had such a tortured journey, seeing as it has been fodder for thoughts shared in at least 10 columns or blog posts over the years. Once more I find myself at the AzaSite well, there once again to drink from its bitter potions.
Akorn Pharmaceuticals, itself a bit of an unwanted child, has been sold. No really, this time it’s real. The French company Théa bought Akorn. A real sale with money changing hands and new management. Well, sorta bought Akorn, I guess. Akorn is jettisoning its branded properties, selling what amounts to a traditional drug company and returning to its roots as a maker of generic products. Théa is a family-owned company best known in Europe for non-preserved artificial tears and a small glaucoma portfolio. Word in the back alleys (and a press release) is that the “combined” company will continue to make/provide Betimol, Zioptan, Cosopt PF, AcellFX and AzaSite. It will add three glaucoma meds, two that are non-preserved, one described as “holistic.”
Maybe Nate Radcliffe can ’splain me that.
By all accounts, the entry of Théa into our market should be viewed as a positive. It is a well-capitalized company with a good reputation in Europe. The American team is led by Susan Benton, who is known to anyone who worked with the original Xiidra group at Shire. The company has an established expertise in non-preserved preparations, a plus for those of us who take care of patients with dry eye disease (DED) ravaged by benzalkonium chloride. Word on the street is that Théa plans to retain the Akorn sales force, a great decision that should limit disruption out in the field.
But what of my poor, neglected AzaSite?
Once again, I am making a personal request, a plea for someone to take this useful medication seriously and give it the support it deserves. Whether it is the Susan Benton-led Théa U.S. or someone else, can we get AzaSite into the hands of someone who is going to keep it in the market and available to patients with meibomian gland dysfunction-driven DED who need it? To Ms. Benton and Théa directly, please make a decision about AzaSite right away and let us all know what it is. Please love it, cherish it and support it through a specialty pharmacy or other aggressive managed market strategies. Don’t keep us in suspense. It’s a great drug that is highly useful in treating evaporative DED.
I can’t believe I’m still writing about this.
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