Wockhardt receives US FDA approval for generic version of Aricept tablets.

Wockhardt has received tentative approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (US FDA) for marketing 5mg and 10mg tablets of donepezil HCl, which is used for treatment of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Donepezil is the generic name for the brand Aricept, marketed in the US by Eisai in partnership with Pfizer. Wockhardt will be launching the product in the US market on 28 May 2011. According to IMS Health, the total market for this product in the US is about $2.5 bn. "This is our second ANDA approval in less than a week and marks a good beginning to our fiscal year 2012", said Wockhardt Chairman Habil Khorakiwala. "We are continuing to get a steady stream of FDA approval and …