The European Commission has granted Gilead Sciences Inc. marketing authorization for Vemlidy, a drug used in the treatment of people suffering from chronic Hepatitis B infections.
The new authorization grants Gilead the opportunity to market the drug in 28 countries in the European Union as well as in Norway and Iceland.
“As the first new treatment for chronic hepatitis B to the be approved in Europe in nearly a decade, this approval marks a step forward in the management of a progressive, life-threatening disease affecting 13 million Europeans,” Pietro Lampertico, head of Gastroenterology and Heptaology at the University of Milan in Italy, said. “Treating a lifelong disease such as hepatitis B can present challenges as patients age, and improvements in bone and renal laboratory safety parameters demonstrated by Vermildy allow it to provide an important new option for patients.”
Vermildy has shown to be just as effect as Gliead’s Viread but with a much smaller dose. It also showed signs of greater stability and efficiency in its delivery methods.
“Vermildy reflects Gilead’s ongoing commitment to improve and simplfy care for people with chronic diseases, while we continue our research efforts for curative treatments,” Norbert Bischofberger, executive vice president of research and development at Gilead Sciences, said. “We look forward to making Vermildy available as quickly as possible throughout the European Union.”
European Commission OK's Gilead drug for Hepatitis C
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