Hospira announces launch of piperacillin and tazobactam injection in the US

Hospira, Inc. (NYSE: HSP), the world leader in generic injectable pharmaceuticals, today announced the launch of piperacillin and tazobactam for injection in the United States. The medication is a generic version of Zosyn®, the world's leading injectable antibiotic, from Pfizer (Wyeth). Piperacillin and tazobactam injection posted 2009 U.S. sales of more than $855 million.

Piperacillin and tazobactam for injection is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used to treat patients with moderate to severe infections. It is an injectable combination product that consists of piperacillin (an extended-spectrum penicillin) and tazobactam (a beta-lactamase inhibitor).

"The launch of piperacillin and tazobactam for injection represents another significant generic injectable introduction for Hospira this year, furthering our goal of taking costs out of the healthcare system by providing high-quality, lower-cost alternatives to proprietary medications," said Joshua Gordon, vice president, Specialty Pharmaceuticals, Hospira.

Hospira's piperacillin and tazobactam product portfolio extends beyond the formulations available from the originator. In addition to immediately offering the injectable medication in 2.25 g, 3.375 g and 4.5 g single-dose vials, Hospira will also market the only piperacillin and tazobactam for injection in Hospira's proprietary ADD-Vantage™ system.

The ADD-Vantage ready-to-use drug delivery system from Hospira enhances customer convenience and aids patient safety by eliminating the need for needles. To help hospitals reduce medication errors, Hospira also labels all of its injectable products with unit-of-use bar codes.

Hospira currently markets the piperacillin and tazobactam combination injectables in more than a dozen markets outside the United States, with plans to expand the launch to several Asian markets in late 2010 and early 2011.