Drug info - Rare Benzodiazepine: LEXOTANIL (Bromazepam)

[Stimulants]

Bromazepam is available under several brand names, such as Lexotanil, Lexotan, etc. It's even available in Canada. U.S. is one of the exceptions.

The reason for something not being available in a particular country is not necessarily science based and the reasons it isn't available in the U.S. may not be very good ones.

In the U.S., pharmaceutical companies develop new medications and earn a exclusivity right for a period of 20 years, then advertise directly to consumers entice them to ask their doctors for it. Patent medicines are usually outrageously priced. Mean while, insurance providers will do their best to try to encourage generic to cut cost while the pharm. companies try their best to persuade there is no pre-existing alternative.

Pharmaceutical corporate politics ensure some medications don't get the approval to prevent predation of patented products.

Imovane is a good example. It is a racemic of two isomers of zopiclone. It is available pretty much everywhere, except the U.S. as generic.

In the U.S. Imovane is not available, however it's s-isomer eszopiclone is available as Lunesta® which is still protected under patent and cost an outrageous amount. If Imovane was to become available, SWIM forecasts that it will have predatory effect on Lunesta and insurance companies will likely kick it down a few rungs on a ladder and ban its use as "first line treatment" to curb cost.

It's not that Imovane is bad, but it is good for the pocketbook of Lunesta's maker.

Both Sanofi-Aventis and Sepracor are involved in Lunesta/Imovane affairs.

"sanofi-aventis (formerly Rhone-Poulenc Rorer SA)
In October 1999, Sepracor entered into an agreement with Rhone-Poulenc Rorer SA (RPR), a unit of Rhone-Poulenc SA, now sanofi-aventis, whereby Sepracor exclusively licensed RPR's preclinical, clinical and post-marketing surveillance data package relating to zopiclone, its isomers and metabolites, to develop, make, use and sell eszopiclone in the United States. Zopiclone, marketed by sanofi-aventis under the brand names of IMOVANE® and AMOBAN® for the treatment of insomnia, is available in approximately 80 countries worldwide but is not registered for use in the U.S. market.
Sepracor has the right to read and reference sanofi-aventis' regulatory filings related to zopiclone outside of the United States for the purpose of development and regulatory registration of eszopiclone outside of the U.S., and sanofi-aventis has assigned to Sepracor the foreign counterparts to the U.S. patent covering eszopiclone and its therapeutic use."


^http://www.sepracor.com/aboutSepraco...greements.html