Who Currently Manufactures Brand-Name Arimidex?

Mstein1970

I have been taking brand-name Arimidex for a few years. I buy it from the mail-order Eagle Pharmacy through Arimidex Direct, which was originally run by AstraZeneca, the British company that created and originally manufactured the drug. For the last couple of year, the Minnesota drug company ANI has distributed the drug, and claimed to manufacture it in the U.S. But I just learned from a rep at ANI that ANI NEVER manufactured the drug; it only bought the distribution rights. And Arimidex is also no longer manufactured by AstraZeneca, which apparently sold all the rights to a French company in 2019.

So I'm paying $60 a month for a supposedly brand-name drug that is NOT manufactured in the U.S. (or England). And I could be taking a generic drug for a few dollars a month. ANI is the only "manufacturer" name that appears on the label of the pill container.

Is anyone else using Arimidex Direct, and are you aware of the misrepresentation of where and by whom this drug is manufactured? At this point, I have no idea who manufactures this "brand-name" form of anastrozole.

exbrnxgrl

Actually, Astra Zeneca let go of their distribution rights to Arimidex in 2017. May I ask why it is important that it be manufactured in the US? I don’t know for certain but if the drug is still being called Arimidex then the ingredients, both active and inert fillers, should still be the same. The generics are not called nor labeled Arimidex but rather anastrozole. Generics contain the same active ingredients but may contain different fillers .

I could be totally wrong but I’m thinking they can’t label a product with the brand name if it is not the original formula regardless of where it’s made. I have only been on generic AI’s myself.

Beesie

Mstein, are you sure that the rep was correct?

According to the ANI website, they do have extensive manufacturing capabilities in the U.S.. They also market the product as Arimidex, not Anastrozole, and they would not be able to do that if they are repackaging a generic.

https://www.anipharmaceuticals.com/ourbusiness-capabilities.php

Here is a listing of all brands of Anastrozole. You can see that most are called Anastrozole and not Arimidex. Those that are repackaged are labelled as such. ANI Arimidex is on page 3.

https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=Anastrozole&page=1&pagesize=20

Mstein1970

Exbrnxgrl,

As bad as the regulatory/quality control system is within the US, it's worse in the countries where almost all drugs are now manufactured. For example, there have been many news stories in recent years about the FDA's failure to fulfill its mission and follow its own guidelines, and inspect pharmaceutical plants in India.

Mstein1970

Beesie,

It seems that ANI has the DISTRIBUTION rights to the brand name, and that's enough for them to put the ANI name on the label, implying that they are the manufacturer. But I'd be very happy if you contacted the company yourself and asked these questions.

Beesie

ANI were approved by the FDA to manufacture generic anastrozole in 1995. They purchased the U.S. rights to Arimidex in 2018.

ANI buys 4 products from AstraZeneca https://drugstorenews.com/news/ani-buys-products-a...

"This acquisition complements our brand and generic strategies and further expands and diversifies our commercial portfolio," ANI president and CEO Arthur Przybyl said. "Importantly, ANI has the capability to manufacture and package all of the products at our containment facility in Baudette, Minn."

"But I'd be very happy if you contacted the company yourself and asked these questions."

Why would I do that?

LeesaD

Mstein 1970- I don't think the rights sold to France as you mentioned have any bearing on the US rights to mfg or distribute. Here is press release from Astra Zeneca about the sale of the European rights. They specifically mention the US rights were sold in 2017.

“20 December 2019 07:00 GMT

Sale to Juvisé Pharmaceuticals supports AstraZeneca's strategy of focusing on pipeline of new medicinesAstraZeneca today announced that it has agreed to sell the commercial rights to Arimidex (anastrozole) and Casodex (bicalutamide) in a number of European, African and other countries to Juvisé Pharmaceuticals.

The medicines, used primarily to treat breast and prostate cancers, have lost their compound patent protection in these countries. AstraZeneca already divested the rights to both Arimidex and Casodex in the US in 2017.

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Business Unit, said: “Arimidex and Casodex are important established medicines and we are pleased that Juvisé Pharmaceuticals will now take on the work of making sure patients continue to have access to them. Today's agreement is part of a broader strategy of reducing our portfolio of mature medicines to reallocate resources towards developing our pipeline of new medicines."

The French deal and US deal seem separate and I don't think impact each other. I take brand name Arimidex and I usually get three bottles of 30 pills each and they are the usual Arimidex brand bottles. Those say on mine Distributed by ANI. Just refilled and this time I got a regular prescription bottle with 90 pills. I questioned pharmacist as wanted to make sure it's still brand name Arimidex and he said yes. It does say Arimidex on bottle but the packaging threw me. This bottle actually say though 'MFG by ANI' and not just distributed.