Endo Pharmaceuticals Completes Next Step in Regulatory Process for FORTESTA™ for Men With Low Testosterone

CHADDS FORD, Pa., July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Endo Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ENDP) has submitted a complete response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following the company's receipt of a Complete Response letter in October 2009 related to the New Drug Application (NDA) submission for FORTESTA™ (testosterone) 2% gel.  The company's Class 2 resubmission is the next step in its intention to offer FORTESTA as a treatment option in the United States for men diagnosed with low testosterone (Low T), also known as hypogonadism. The FDA's review period for Class 2 resubmissions typically is six months.

"We are optimistic that our expeditious and careful response to the FDA's requests will lead to the agency's approval of FORTESTA," said Julie McHugh, chief operating officer, Endo Pharmaceuticals. "We are committed to making this testosterone gel formula available as soon as possible and will continue to work closely with the FDA toward our goal of making this product available for the treatment of low testosterone in men."

ProStrakan Group plc submitted the NDA for FORTESTA to the FDA in April 2009, and Endo signed an agreement with ProStrakan in August 2009 to acquire exclusive U.S. rights to commercialize the testosterone 2% gel, branded variously as Tostran, Tostrex and Itnogen outside of the U.S. The principal content of the re-submission is a re-analysis of the primary variable (testosterone levels) in the original pivotal study.  This re-analysis has confirmed the reliability of the original conclusions of the study. In addition, Endo has provided information in the Complete Response about its plans for a post-approval "hand-wash" study.

LOW T

Low T, also known as hypogonadism, is a condition in men characterized by the body's failure to produce normal amounts of the hormone testosterone.  It is associated with symptoms including decreased energy and mood, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, decreased libido and erectile dysfunction.  Because the symptoms of Low T are often similar to those caused by other medical conditions, more than 91 percent of men with the condition go undiagnosed.  

About Endo

Endo Pharmaceuticals is a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the research, development, sale and marketing of branded and generic prescription pharmaceuticals used to treat and manage pain, prostate cancer, bladder cancer and the early onset of puberty in children, or central precocious puberty (CPP). Its products include LIDODERM®, a topical patch to relieve the pain of postherpetic neuralgia; Percocet® and Percodan® tablets for the relief of moderate-to-moderately severe pain; FROVA® tablets for the acute treatment of migraine attacks with or without aura in adults; OPANA® tablets for the relief of moderate-to-severe acute pain where the use of an opioid is appropriate; OPANA® ER tablets for the relief of moderate-to-severe pain in patients requiring continuous, around-the-clock opioid treatment for an extended period of time; Voltaren® Gel, which is owned and licensed by Novartis AG, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug indicated for the relief of the pain of osteoarthritis of joints amenable to topical treatment, such as those of the hands and the knees; VANTAS® for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer; SUPPRELIN® LA for the treatment of early onset puberty in children; and VALSTAR® for the treatment of BCG-refractory carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the urinary bladder in patients for whom immediate cystectomy would be associated with unacceptable medical risks. The company markets its branded pharmaceutical products to physicians in pain management, urology, endocrinology, oncology, neurology, surgery and primary care. More information, including this and past press releases of Endo Pharmaceuticals, is available at www.endo.com.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding, among other things, the company's financial position, results of operations, market position, product development and business strategy, as well as estimates of future total revenues, future expenses, future net income and future earnings per share. Statements including words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "plan," "will," "may" "intend," "guidance" or similar expressions are forward-looking statements. Because these statements reflect our current views, expectations and beliefs concerning future events, these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Investors should note that many factors could affect our future financial results and could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements contained in this press release. These factors include, but are not limited to: our ability to successfully develop, commercialize and market new products; timing and results of pre-clinical or clinical trials on new products; our ability to obtain regulatory approval of any of our pipeline products; competition for the business of our branded and generic products, and in connection with our acquisition of rights to intellectual property assets; market acceptance of our future products; government regulation of the pharmaceutical industry; our dependence on a small number of products; our dependence on outside manufacturers for the manufacture of a majority of our products; our dependence on third parties to supply raw materials and to provide services for certain core aspects of our business; new regulatory action or lawsuits relating to our use of narcotics in most of our core products; our exposure to product liability claims and product recalls and the possibility that we may not be able to adequately insure ourselves; the successful efforts of manufacturers of branded pharmaceuticals to use litigation and legislative and regulatory efforts to limit the use of generics and certain other products; our ability to successfully implement our acquisition and in-licensing strategy; regulatory or other limits on the availability of controlled substances that constitute the active ingredients of some of our products and products in development; the availability of third-party reimbursement for our products; the outcome of any pending or future litigation or claims by third parties or the government, and the performance of indemnitors with respect to claims for which we have been indemnified; our dependence on sales to a limited number of large pharmacy chains and wholesale drug distributors for a large portion of our total revenues; a determination by a regulatory agency that we are engaging or have engaged in inappropriate sales or marketing activities, including promoting the "off-label" use of our products and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual reports on Form 10-K, particularly the discussion under the caption "Item 1A, RISK FACTORS" in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2009, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Feb. 26, 2010. The forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified by these risk factors. These are factors that, individually or in the aggregate, we think could cause our actual results to differ materially from expected and historical results. We assume no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

SOURCE Endo Pharmaceuticals

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