Horizon Pharma has commercially launched Rayos (prednisone) delayed release tablets in the US.
Rayos is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Initially, Horizon will target rheumatologic diseases such as RA and PMR as well as nearly one thousand rheumatologists in the US.
The tablet will be available to the majority of US rheumatologists and primary care physicians by the end of January 2013.
Horizon Pharma executive vice president and chief commercial officer Todd Smith said the commercial launch of Rayos provides innovative therapeutic options to patients suffering from arthritis, pain and inflammatory diseases and to the physicians who treat them.
"Our near term focus is on top-tier rheumatologists to prepare the market for the full rheumatology and primary care launch in late January 2013," Smith added.
In July 2012, the US FDA has approved Horizon's new drug application for Rayos based on data bridging the pharmacokinetics of it to immediate-release prednisone and data from the Circadian Administration of Prednisone in RA trials.
