Actavis today announced the launch of Finasteride tablets in 14 European countries. The distribution of the product has already commenced. Actavis has already had well over 100 product and market launches this year, and before year end more than 500 launches will be completed.

Finasteride was launched as the patent protection expired in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Actavis currently sells the product under its own label in 12 countries, both in Europe and in the US. Actavis’ Third Party division sells the product to a number of its customers in eight countries.

Finasteride is a new molecule in Actavis‘ portfolio this year and is available in tablets of 5mg. It is the generic equivalent of MSD‘s Proscar® tablets and is used as a treatment in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and in prostate cancer. Actavis’ formulation was developed in Iceland and the bioequivalence study was conducted in South Africa. The production takes place in India.