AstraZeneca receives EU approval for antibiotic Zinforo

AstraZeneca has been granted European regulatory approval for Zinforo, an innovative intravenous cephalosporin antibiotic.

The European Commission has endorsed the therapy for the treatment of adult patients with complicated skin and soft tissue infections or community-acquired pneumonia.

It becomes the first approved cephalosporin monotherapy in Europe with demonstrated clinical efficacy against the MRSA virus, which is a common cause of skin infections.

The antibiotic has proven its efficacy in a phase III trial programme that included four separate studies, and has been available from Forest Laboratories in the US under the name Teflaro since March 2011.

Martin Mackay, president of research and development at AstraZeneca, said: "We are delighted that Zinforo has received regulatory approval across Europe and believe it will make a valuable contribution to addressing the significant unmet need for new antibiotics."

Earlier this month, the company announced a new collaboration with Regulus Therapeutics that will focus on the creation of innovative microRNA therapeutics.