Novartis receives backing for paediatric Diovan indication

Novartis has been granted European regulatory approval for its high blood pressure treatment Diovan to be used in paediatric patients.

The European Commission has approved the use of Novartis’ drug among children aged between six and 18, following on from a similar decision granted in the US in 2008.

It will be administered to patients in this age group both in its standard tablet formulation and in a newly-developed oral solution.

Novartis states that the approval of its treatment represents an advance in a clinical area which has so far seen a limited number of available therapy options.

Dr Franz Schaefer, professor of paediatrics and chief of the paediatric nephrology division at Heidelberg University Hospital, added: “The only way to help reduce the impact of this condition in this patient group is to improve the identification and treatment of it.”

Last week, the company published its first quarter financial breakdown for 2010, during which it experienced a 25 per cent year-on-year increase in net sales.