FDA Issues Complete Response Letter for Low Dose Oral Contraceptive

ARDEE, Ireland, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Warner Chilcott plc (Nasdaq: WCRX) announced today that it has received a complete response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to its New Drug Application submitted in March 2009 for its "low dose" oral contraceptive (also referred to as WC 3016).  

The letter states that during FDA inspections of the third-party drug substance manufacturing facility and control testing laboratory used to support the application deficiencies were noted that remain unresolved.  Satisfactory resolution of these deficiencies is required before the application can be approved.  No efficacy or safety issues were raised by the FDA in the letter.

Warner Chilcott intends to work closely with the FDA and its third-party partners whose facilities were cited in the complete response letter to resolve these issues as rapidly as possible. Until that time, the Company's primary promotional focus within the U.S. hormonal contraceptive market continues to be LOESTRIN 24 Fe.

The Company

Warner Chilcott is a leading specialty pharmaceutical company currently focused on the gastroenterology, women's healthcare, dermatology and urology segments of the U.S. and Western European pharmaceuticals markets. Warner Chilcott is a fully integrated company with internal resources dedicated to the development, manufacturing and promotion of its products. WCRX-G.

Warner Chilcott's Forward Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements concerning our operations, our economic performance and financial condition, and our business plans and growth strategy and product development efforts. These statements constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The words "may," "might," "will," "should," "estimate," "project," "plan," "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "outlook," "believe" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions by our management that, although we believe to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain and subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.

The following represent some, but not necessarily all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from historical results or those anticipated or predicted by our forward-looking statements: our substantial indebtedness; competitive factors in the industry in which we operate (including the approval and introduction of generic or branded products that compete with our products); our ability to protect our intellectual property; a delay in qualifying our manufacturing facilities to produce our products or production or regulatory problems with either third party manufacturers upon whom we may rely for some of our products or our own manufacturing facilities; pricing pressures from reimbursement policies of private managed care organizations and other third party payors, government sponsored healthcare systems, the continued consolidation of the distribution network through which we sell our products, including wholesale drug distributors and the growth of large retail drug store chains; the loss of key senior management or scientific staff; adverse outcomes in our outstanding litigation or an increase in the number of litigation matters to which we are subject; government regulation affecting the development, manufacture, marketing and sale of pharmaceutical products, including our ability and the ability of companies with whom we do business to obtain necessary regulatory approvals; our ability to manage the growth of our business by successfully identifying, developing, acquiring or licensing new products at favorable prices and marketing such new products; our ability to obtain regulatory approval and customer acceptance of new products, and continued customer acceptance of our existing products; changes in tax laws or interpretations that could increase our consolidated tax liabilities; our ability to realize the anticipated opportunities from the acquisition of The Procter & Gamble Company's global branded pharmaceutical business; and the other risks identified in our periodic filings including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, as amended, and our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 2, 2009, as amended; and other risks detailed from time-to-time in our public filings, financial statements and other investor communications.

We caution you that the foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive. In addition, in light of these risks and uncertainties, the matters referred to in our forward-looking statements may not occur. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

SOURCE Warner Chilcott plc