FDA Approval for SangStat Drug Expected

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce approval today of a generic version of a drug used to improve the results of organ transplants. Menlo Park-based SangStat said the FDA will give it permission to market SangCya, a generic version of cyclosporine. Company executives said they plan to sell their product 20% cheaper than Neoral, the cyclosporine formulation produced by Swiss drug maker Novartis. The lower prices could result in a $1,200 annual savings to patients who must take cyclosporine daily to ensure that their bodies don’t reject an implanted organ, said SangStat’s Chairman Philippe Pouletty. SangCya would be available next month, he said.