New Indication For Astra's Foscavir

In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new indication for Astra's injectable antiviral drug Foscavir (foscarnet sodium); the treatment of aciclovir-resistant Herpes simplex virus infection in immunocompromized patients. The non-nucleoside antiviral drug becomes the first agent to be approved for this indication, according to Astra.

Nigel Rulewski, Astra's vice-president of medical affairs, noted that the drug is already approved for the management of patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis, and continues to be studied for utility in other viral infections.

Since its approval in 1991 for CMV retinitis in AIDS patients, Astra has provided the drug free of charge to patients without adequate insurance coverage (although the firm has come into some criticism for the high price tag which is charged for those patients who are insured), and says that it will also provide the drug free to uninsured patients with aciclovir-resistant HSV infections.