Hospira Announces U.S. Approval of Generic Docetaxel

LAKE FOREST, Ill., March 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hospira, Inc. (NYSE: HSP), the world leader in generic injectable pharmaceuticals, today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of docetaxel. The medication is a generic version of Sanofi-Aventis's Taxotere®, and Hospira expects to launch the product later this month.

Hospira's docetaxel is approved for the treatment of a variety of cancers. In 2010, U.S. sales of Taxotere were approximately $1.2 billion.

Unlike original product formulations that require healthcare workers to take a two-step process prior to infusion, Hospira's docetaxel comes in a single-vial formulation that is designed to reduce the number of handling steps in the preparation of the product.

"Hospira's docetaxel will give U.S. cancer patients access to a high-quality, lower-cost alternative to the branded product, offers a differentiated delivery system designed to enhance caregiver safety, and reinforces Hospira's commitment to meet patient and caregiver needs in the oncology space," said Thomas Moore, president, U.S., Hospira.

Hospira will offer 20 mg, 80 mg and 160 mg vials of docetaxel at a 10 mg/mL concentration, the original concentration that customers have used safely for many years. Hospira already markets docetaxel in Europe and Australia.

Hospira's specialty injectable pharmaceuticals (SIP) offering includes approximately 200 generic injectable drugs in many dosages and formulations. In addition, many of its products are available in popular differentiated presentations, several of which are proprietary, such as ADD-Vantage™ drug delivery system and iSecure™ prefilled syringes. Therapeutic segments include analgesia, anesthesia, anti-infectives, cardiovascular, oncology, emergency and other areas. Hospira also has robust pipelines of both generic and biosimilar drugs.

About Hospira

Hospira, Inc. is a global specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company dedicated to Advancing Wellness™. As the world leader in specialty generic injectable pharmaceuticals, Hospira offers one of the broadest portfolios of generic acute-care and oncology injectables, as well as integrated infusion therapy and medication management solutions. Through its products, Hospira helps improve the safety, cost and productivity of patient care. The company is headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., and has approximately 14,000 employees. Learn more at www.hospira.com.

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 --

A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the growth opportunities for generic specialty injectable products. Hospira cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Economic, competitive, governmental, legal, regulatory, technological and other factors that may affect Hospira's operations and may cause actual results to be materially different from expectations include the risks, uncertainties and factors discussed under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Hospira's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are incorporated by reference. Hospira undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as the result of subsequent events or developments.

SOURCE Hospira, Inc.