Canada asks Ranbaxy to withdraw painkiller
The Canadian health and drug regulator Health Canada has asked Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Canada (RPCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL) to withdraw its generic, 25 microgram per hour strength, fentanyl pain-relief patches from the Canadian market due to safety concerns. Ranbaxy controls more than 50 per cent of the generic fentanyl market in Canada and this is among the four major revenue earners for Ranbaxy in that country.