Bentley to release generic omeprazole in UK

Omeprazole belongs to a class of proton-pump inhibitors used in the treatment of acid-related gastrointestinal disorders. The product is marketed by Astra Zeneca in Europe under the trade name Losec and in the US under the trade name Prilosec.

Bentley has entered into agreements with multiple distributors and has licensed the product through its Spanish subsidiary, pending regulatory approval. The product is being launched immediately in the UK market.

James Murphy, Bentley’s chairman and CEO, commented: “We are beginning to see the results of our aggressive efforts to penetrate other European markets and leverage the low-cost, highly efficient manufacturing processes of our facilities in Spain. The launch of omeprazole in the UK, our second UK marketed product, is an important milestone in our European expansion plan.”

Mr Murphy justified the release of the generic drug in terms of cost, stating: “Although our omeprazole formulation complies with all the requirements of a generic equivalent, we have submitted patent applications for producing large quantities of this and other gastrointestinal products in a very cost-efficient manner.” He went on to add: “We expect to be able to meet the demands of our larger EU market and to begin shipping product during the second quarter.”