Exhibit 99.3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: | Adam C. Derbyshire | G. Michael Freeman | ||
Executive Vice President and | Associate Vice President, Investor Relations | |||
Chief Financial Officer | and Corporate Communications | |||
919-862-1000 | 919-862-1000 |
NASDAQ Halts Trading Today in Salix Pharmaceuticals Stock
FDA Advisory Committee Reviewing XIFAXAN® (rifaximin) Tablets, 550 mg NDA
RALEIGH, NC, Feb. 23, 2010– Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (NASDAQ:SLXP) today announced that NASDAQ has halted trading of the Company’s common stock this morning. The Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA is meeting today to discuss the efficacy and safety of the New Drug Application (NDA) for XIFAXAN® (rifaximin) Tablets, 550 mg for the maintenance of remission of hepatic encephalopathy.
Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, develops and markets prescription pharmaceutical products for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Salix’s strategy is to in-license late-stage or marketed proprietary therapeutic drugs, complete any required development and regulatory submission of these products, and market them through the Company’s gastroenterology specialty sales and marketing team.
Salix markets XIFAXAN® (rifaximin) tablets 200 mg, MOVIPREP® (PEG 3350, Sodium Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Ascorbate and Ascorbic Acid for Oral Solution), OSMOPREP® (sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate, USP and sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous, USP) Tablets, VISICOL® (sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate, USP, and sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous, USP) Tablets, APRISO™ (mesalamine) extended-release capsules 0.375 g., METOZOLV™ ODT (metoclopramide HCl), PEPCID® (famotidine) for Oral Suspension, Oral Suspension DIURIL® (Chlorothiazide), AZASAN® Azathioprine Tablets, USP, 75/100 mg, ANUSOL-HC® 2.5% (Hydrocortisone Cream, USP), ANUSOL-HC® 25 mg Suppository (Hydrocortisone Acetate), PROCTOCORT® Cream (Hydrocortisone Cream, USP) 1% and PROCTOCORT® Suppository (Hydrocortisone Acetate Rectal Suppositories) 30 mg. Budesonide foam, crofelemer and rifaximin for additional indications are under development.
For full prescribing information, including BOXED WARNINGS for VISICOL, OSMOPREP and METOZOLV, on Salix products, please visitwww.salix.com or contact the Company at 919 862-1000.
Salix trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “SLXP.”
For more information please visit our web site atwww.salix.com. Information on our web site is not incorporated in our SEC filings.