The Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva announced today that it had received final approval from the FDA (the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) to produce and market tablets of 2 and 4 mg. of the antispastic medication Tizanidine HCl. This medication is the generic version of Zanaflex tablets. Zanaflex is currently sold for about $100 for 150 4-mg. tablets, and its total annual sales are reported at $178 million.



In light of the skyrocketing cost of pharmaceuticals in the United States, America is increasingly dependent on the generic drugs produced by Petach Tikva- based Teva, its largest supplier of such. . Israel21c.org recently reported that Teva currently produces one in every 15 prescriptions filled in the United States. Drugs produced by the Israeli company include anti-infective, heart, pain and other medications. In 2001, Teva introduced to the market 20 new drugs, and has 61 new product registrations awaiting FDA approval for this year.