Valeant gets Canadian rights to Sanofi’s Altace and Altace to treat hypertension

The two angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are approved by Health Canada and they will now be commercialized and manufactured locally by Valeant at its Laval, Quebec facility.

Population Health Research Institute professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at McMaster University, and director, Vascular Research Ultrasound Laboratory Eva Lonn said: "In the treatment of patients deemed at high-risk of cardiovascular events, ramipril is an excellent first choice of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, and represents a leap in practice for Canadian physicians."

Hypertension, a major risk factor for stroke and heart disease, occurs when the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated and the heart has to work harder than normal to pump blood through the blood vessels.

Valeant Canada vice-president of the Pharma Business Unit Richard Lajoie said: "The addition of Altace to our established portfolio which already includes Lodalis, Edarbi, Glumetza and Tiazac XC represents another key milestone for the company in becoming the Canadian leader in the cardio-metabolic field."

Valeant Canada develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of pharmaceutical products, primarily in the areas of dermatology, eye health, neurology, and branded generics.