Allergan Inc

Allergan Inc. said it won a ruling temporarily blocking Apotex Inc. from making or selling a generic version of a treatment for eye inflammation. The ruling, issued Dec. 29 by U.S. District Judge Martin Jenkins in San Francisco, temporarily prohibits Apotex from manufacturing or selling a generic version of Allergan's Acular in the U.S., Allergan spokeswoman Caroline Van Hove said. Irvine-based Allergan, which also makes the anti-wrinkle drug Botox, sued Apotex over patents for Acular in 2001.

Allergan Inc., the maker of Botox anti-wrinkle treatments, said the Federal Trade Commission had closed its investigation into whether the company hindered generic drug makers from making copies of its Acular eye drug. Irvine-based Allergan said the decision followed a U.S. District Court ruling in December that concluded the patent covering Acular was valid and enforceable, the company said.

Allergan Inc., maker of Botox anti-wrinkle treatments, said Tuesday that it had agreed to buy Oculex Pharmaceuticals Inc. for about $230 million in cash. Irvine-based Allergan has been shifting its focus to pharmaceutical sales after last year spinning off a business that makes eye-surgery devices. Closely held Oculex develops products to treat eye diseases such as those caused by diabetes, Allergan said. The company said it expected to complete the purchase by the end of November.

Allergan Inc. will receive as much as $104 million from Warner-Lambert Co. under an agreement to research and develop treatments for adult onset diabetes, the companies said Wednesday. The therapy will involve Allergan's developmental drugs based on retinoids, which are byproducts of Vitamin A, and Warner-Lambert's research into metabolic diseases.

Allergan Inc., maker of the wrinkle-smoother Botox, reported Friday that its first-quarter profit fell 58% as the recession slowed sales of eye and beauty products. Net income dropped to $45 million, or 15 cents a share, from $108 million, or 35 cents, a year earlier, the Irvine company said. Profit excluding some items was 55 cents a share, beating by 2 cents the average analyst estimate. Revenue fell 6.4% to $1.01 billion, matching analysts' estimates. Sales of Botox dropped 18.2% to $297.

Allergan Inc., maker of the wrinkle smoother Botox, said fourth-quarter profit fell 2.4% on spending to promote new products including breast implants and a skin-filling gel. Allergan's net income fell to $136.8 million, or 89 cents a share, from $140.1 million, or $1.03, a year earlier, the Irvine-based company said. Fourth-quarter sales rose 38% to $829.1 million. Profit, excluding certain costs, matched the $1.02 average estimate of analysts in a Bloomberg survey.

The maker of the wrinkle-smoothing blockbuster drug Botox -- used by Hollywood's elite and news anchors everywhere -- is taking jokes about its most famous product seriously. Despite booming sales, Irvine-based drug maker Allergan Inc. said this week that it would address the common stereotype that injections of Botox froze the face, preventing users from making expressions. The company is set to launch a print and television advertising campaign this year dubbed "Freedom of Expression."

Allergan Inc., a maker of eye and beauty products, accused Canadian generic drug maker Apotex Inc. of infringing five U.S. patents for preparations used in the treatment of glaucoma. Allergan said in a federal lawsuit filed Monday in Delaware that Apotex told the company in April that it was seeking U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to market generic versions of Allergan's Alphagan ophthalmic solution.