Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. (RPI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL), Gurgaon, India, announced that under an agreement with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals it has launched an authorized generic of omeprazole 40 mg capsules in the US healthcare system.

Omeprazole 40 mg is indicated for the treatment of acid-related disease, including gastric ulcer and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. The most common side effects of Prilosec are headache, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Prilosec 40 mg had sales in the US market of $204.2 million (IMS: March 2008 MAT).

"We welcome the opportunity to market an authorized generic of omeprazole 40 mg capsules that will be commercialized immediately to all classes of trade in the US healthcare system under the Ranbaxy label," said Jim Meehan, vice president of sales and distribution for RPI. "We will offer this product as an affordable and accessible generic formulation to patients requiring this medication."