News in brief - December 2014 (updated)

• Actavis has launched Sastravi (levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and end-of-dose motor fluctuations not stabilised with levodopa/dopa decarboxylase inhibitor.
• Noxafil (posaconazole) is now available as a 300mg concentrate for solution for infusion. The antifungal from MSD is also available as tablets and an oral suspension.
• Sanofi has discontinued Piportil Depot (pipotiazine palmitate) owing to a global shortage of the active ingredient. Supplies of the injection are expected to be exhausted by the end of March 2015.
• Epimax is a new formulation of aqueous cream that does not contain the potential sensitiser sodium lauryl sulfate.
• The Calcichew range now includes Calcichew-D3 1g/800iu Once Daily, a high-dose calcium/vitamin D chewable tablet containing 2.5g calcium carbonate (equivalent to 1g calcium) and 800iu vitamin D₃ (colecalciferol).
• The new haemophilia A treatment Nuwiq (simoctocog alfa) is a recombinant human coagulation factor VIII produced in a human cell-line.

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