• Forbes, Monday, July 26, 2010 10:39 AM

The Food and Drug Administration's approval of Novartis' generic version of the blood thinner Lovenox signals that the agency may be more willing to approve complex generic products in the coming years, according to Jeffrey George, global head of Novartis's Sandoz generic drug unit.

"It underscores that the FDA really does have the institutional courage to approve affordable high-quality alternatives to some of the more difficult-to-make products that are out there," George tells senior editor Robert Langreth in "The Science Business" blog. "There were a lot of interests lined up against this approval."

Numerous biotech products will start losing patent protection starting in 2015 and 2016, including drugs that are used to treat cancer and autoimmune disease. George estimates biologic medicine to be a $100 billion industry.

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