Novartis' Famvir gets FDA approval

New Jersey, USA-based Novartis Pharmaceuticals, an affiliate of Swiss drug major Novartis, says that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its drug Famvir (famciclovir) for the treatment of recurrent genital herpes. The decision is based on data, included in a supplemental New Drug Application, which demonstrated that Famvir treatment reduced the healing time for all non-aborted lesions by an average of two days. Previously, the FDA approved the product for use in recurrent herpes labialis (cold sores) in immunocompromised individuals, herpes simplex infection in HIV patients and for the treatment of acute herpes zoster (shingles) flare ups.