Taro Receives Patent for Ovide(R)

Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent covering its Ovide(r) (malathion) lotion, 0.5% (patent no. US 7,560,445).

The patent is for a highly pure form of malathion for topical pharmaceutical use and a method of making pure pharmaceutical grade malathion, as well as for a formulation containing the pharmaceutical grade malathion and a method for treating head lice.

In the past year over 250,000 prescriptions for Ovide(r) (malathion) lotion, 0.5% were filled in the U.S., making Ovide(r) the number one prescription treatment for head lice in the U.S. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that between 6 to 12 million Americans are infested with head lice each year, with school children and their families most affected.