Wockhardt Ltd has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing cefotaxime sodium (1 gm) injection in the US market.

Cefotaxime sodium is the generic version of sanofi aventis claforan injection and is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used in treating a wide variety of infections.

"This is our second approval for sterile cephalosporins, and our sixth approval in the last eight months," stated the company chairman Habil Khorakiwala. "The rapid build up of portfolio is helping us make our presence felt in the US the world's largest pharmaceutical market."

Wockhardt's US subsidiary, Wockhardt USA Inc., will launch this cephalosporin antibiotic in the US market, within the next few weeks.

Cefotaxime sodium is manufactured at the US FDA certified sterile cephalosporin API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) facility at Ankleshwar and the injection is manufactured at the sterile formulation plant at Waluj. The processes for both API and the injection were developed in house. The company currently markets 14 products in the US.