Teva Announces Tentative Approval of Levofloxacin Injection

Business Wire, Feb 13, 2005

JERUSALEM -- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted tentative approval for the Company's ANDAs for Levofloxacin Injection, 5 mg/mL in 250 mg/bag and 500 mg/bag (5% dextrose bags) and Levofloxacin Injection, 25 mg/mL in 20 mL and 30 mL vials. Final approval is subject to the resolution of ongoing patent litigation.

Teva's Levofloxacin Injection is the AP-rated generic equivalent of Ortho McNeil's broad-spectrum antibacterial agent Levaquin(R) Injection.

Total annual sales of the brand product, in both configurations, are approximately $220 million.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., headquartered in Israel, is among the top 25 pharmaceutical companies and among the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the world. The company develops, manufactures and markets generic and innovative human pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Close to 90% of Teva's sales are in North America and Europe.

Safe Harbor Statement under the U. S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of management. Such statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations and involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause Teva's future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include Teva's ability to successfully develop and commercialize additional pharmaceutical products, the introduction of competitive generic products, the impact of competition from brand-name companies that sell or license their own generic products (so called "authorized generics") or successfully extend the exclusivity period of their branded products, the effects of competition on Copaxone(R) sales, including potential competition from the launch of Tysabri(R) Teva's ability to rapidly integrate the operations of acquired businesses, including its acquisition of Sicor Inc., regulatory changes that may prevent Teva from exploiting exclusivity periods, potential liability for sales of generic products prior to completion of appellate litigation, including that relating to Neurontin, the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and pending legislation that could affect the pharmaceutical industry, the difficulty of predicting U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Association and other regulatory authority approvals, the regulatory environment and changes in the health policies and structure of various countries, Teva's ability to successfully identify, consummate and integrate acquisitions, exposure to product liability claims, dependence on patent and other protections for innovative products, significant operations outside the United States that may be adversely affected by terrorism or major hostilities, fluctuations in currency, exchange and interest rates, operating results and other factors that are discussed in Teva's Annual Report on Form 20-F and its other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.