Later this year Teva Pharmaceutical will be able to market in U.S. a copy of Advair inhaler, a blockbuster medicine of GlaxoSmithKline.
Teva’s AirDuo RespiClick, this is the name of the new product, will not however substitute in full Advair.

So what are the similarities and what the differences?  

AirDuo is similar to GlaxoSmithKline’ bestseller as will use the same two drugs: fluticasone propionate and salmeterol, however of this last one  it will use a lower dose, but most importantly is only approved for asthma, while Advair is also  used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Furthermore it will use Teva’s Respiclick inhaler rather than a copy of GSK’s device.

If the launch of AirDuo is a challenge for GSK, on the other hand it stated that Teva’s copy do not “pose the same competitive dynamics as market entry of generic products in the U.S. would.”

For GSK the real threaten will be fully substitutable generic copies of Advair, which lucky for GSK are still pending approvals, but they are not so far.

Indeed the FDA is going to decide on Mylan’s drug by March 28.

Other generic version are following closely in May: HiKma and Vectura.

Still it is not known which will be the price of Teva’s drug or which scle of discount will be offered by generic companies

The question being asked by the investor now is how Advair sales will perform with new competitors on the market?

Source: The Daily Mail / Reuters