News Releases

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. Completes Sale of 6.325 Million Shares of Common Stock

RALEIGH, NC, November 23, 2009 – Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (NASDAQ:SLXP), a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced it has closed its previously announced public offering of 5,500,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $21.00 per share. On November 18, 2009, Jefferies & Company, Inc., acting as the sole book-running manager of the offering, exercised in full its over-allotment option to purchase an additional 825,000 shares of common stock. The exercise of the option increased the size of the offering to an aggregate of 6,325,000 shares of common stock.

Salix received proceeds, net of offering expenses and underwriting discounts and commissions, of approximately $128.2 million. Salix offered the shares of its common stock sold in the offering pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Reg. No. 333-163151) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 17, 2009 and effective on November 17, 2009.

Salix intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for business development activities and other general corporate purposes.

Copies of the final prospectus supplement and related prospectus may be obtained from Jefferies & Company, Inc., Attention: Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022 or at (888) 449-2342.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Salix

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 trades on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "SLXP."

Safe Harbor Statement

Please Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events. Such statements are just predictions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual events or results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: risks related to our use of the net proceeds from the offering and the impact thereof on our growth; our need to return to profitability; market acceptance for approved products; the unpredictability of the duration and results of regulatory review of New Drug Applications and Investigational NDAs; the cost, timing and results of clinical trials and other development activities involving pharmaceutical products; generic and other competition; litigation and the possible impairment of, or inability to obtain, intellectual property rights and the costs of obtaining such rights from third parties; revenue recognition and other critical accounting policies and the need to acquire new products. The reader is referred to the documents that the Company files from time to time with the SEC.

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APRISO™ is a locally-acting aminosalicylate indicated for the maintenance of remission of ulcerative colitis in patients 18 years and older. APRISO is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to salicylates, aminosalicylates, or to any of the components of APRISO capsules. The recommended dose of APRISO is four 0.375 g capsules once daily in the morning (1.5 g/day) with or without food. Because dissolution of the coating of APRISO granules depends on pH, APRISO should not be coadministered with antacids. Patients with phenylketonuria should be aware that APRISO contains aspartame, equivalent to 0.56 mg of phenylalanine. In two well-controlled clinical trials, the most common treatment-related adverse events occurring in at least 3% of adult patients taking 1.5 g/day of APRISO were headache (11% vs. 8% for placebo), diarrhea (8% vs. 7% for placebo), upper abdominal pain (5% vs 3% for placebo), nausea (4% vs 3% for placebo), nasopharyngitis (4% vs 3% for placebo), influenza and influenza-like illness (4% vs 4% for placebo) and sinusitis (3% vs 3% for placebo).

For complete Prescribing Information, please click here.


MoviPrep® (PEG-3350, sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid for oral solution) is indicated for cleansing of the colon as a preparation for colonoscopy in adults 18 years of age or older. MoviPrep is contraindicated in patients who have had a severe hypersensitivity reaction to any of its components. MoviPrep should be used with caution in patients using concomitant medications that increase the risk of electrolyte abnormalities, in patients with known or suspected hyponatremia, severe ulcerative colitis, ileus, gastrointestinal obstruction or perforation, gastric retention, toxic colitis, toxic megacolon, or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. In clinical trials, abdominal distention, anal discomfort, thirst, nausea, and abdominal pain were the most common adverse reactions to MoviPrep administration. MoviPrep contains a maximum of 2.33 mg of phenylalanine per treatment.

Consult with your physician to see if this product is right for you.

For complete Prescribing Information, please click here.


Important Safety Information about OsmoPrep

There have been rare, but serious reports of acute phosphate nephropathy in patients who received oral sodium phosphate products for colon cleansing prior to colonoscopy. Some cases have resulted in permanent impairment of renal function and some patients required long–term dialysis. While some cases have occurred in patients without identifiable risk factors, patients at increased risk of acute phosphate nephropathy may include those with increased age, hypovolemia, increased bowel transit time (such as bowel obstruction), active colitis, or baseline kidney disease, and those using medicines that affect renal perfusion or function (such as diuretics, angiotensin converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers [ARBs], and possibly nonsteroidal anti–inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs]).

It is important to use the dose and dosing regimen as recommended (PM/AM split dose).

Please see accompanying brief summary of Prescribing Information for OsmoPrep, including BOXED WARNINGS.

OsmoPrep® (sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate, USP, and sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous, USP) Tablets are indicated for cleansing of the colon as a preparation for colonoscopy in adults 18 years of age or older. Considerable caution should be advised before OsmoPrep is used in patients with severe renal insufficiency, congestive heart failure, ascites, unstable angina, gastric retention, ileus, severe chronic constipation, bowel perforation, toxic megacolon, gastric bypass or stapling surgery, or hypomotility syndrome. Use with caution in patients with impaired renal function, patients with a history of seizures or at higher risk of seizure, patients with higher risk of cardiac arrhythmias, known or suspected electrolyte disturbances (such as dehydration), or people taking drugs that affect electrolyte levels. Patients with electrolyte abnormalities such as hypernatremia, hyperphosphatemia, hypokalemia, or hypocalcemia should have their electrolytes corrected before treatment with OsmoPrep.

OsmoPrep is contraindicated in patients with a known allergy or hypersensitivity to sodium phosphate salts or any of its ingredients, and in patients with biopsy–proven acute phosphate nephropathy. In clinical trials, the most commonly reported adverse reactions (reporting frequency >3%) were abdominal bloating, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. It is recommended that patients receiving OsmoPrep be advised to adequately hydrate before, during, and after the use of OsmoPrep.

For complete Prescribing Information, please click here.


SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Xifaxan® (rifaximin) Tablets are indicated for the treatment of patients (≥12 years of age) with travelers’ diarrhea caused by noninvasive strains of Escherichia coli. Xifaxan should not be used in patients with diarrhea complicated by fever or blood in the stool or diarrhea due to pathogens other than Escherichia coli. Xifaxan should be discontinued if diarrhea symptoms get worse or persist more than 24-48 hours and alternative antibiotic therapy should be considered. Escherichia coli has been shown to develop resistance to rifaximin in vitro. However, the clinical significance of such an effect has not been studied.

In clinical trials, Xifaxan was generally well tolerated. The most common side effects (vs. placebo) were flatulence 11.3% (vs. 19.7%), headache 9.7% (vs. 9.2%), abdominal pain 7.2% (vs. 10.1%), rectal tenesmus 7.2% (vs. 8.8%), defecation urgency 5.9% (vs. 9.2%) and nausea 5.3% (vs. 8.3%).

For complete Prescribing Information, please click here.

Salix Products
  • APRISO
  • XIFAXAN
  • MoviPrep
  • OsmoPrep

Click here to view all Salix products

Click here for Research & Development Info