Novartis drug Ilaris gains approval in the EU

Novartis has revealed that its biological drug Ilaris (canakinumab), which is designed for use in children and adults with cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), has been approved for use in various countries across the EU.

This marks the first time a drug of its kind has been approved in the EU for patients as young as four years old.

Approval for the treatment of CAPS – a rare life-long auto-inflammatory disease with debilitating symptoms and few treatment options – was granted following the results of a clinical trial.

The study showed that Ilaris produces rapid and sustained remission of symptoms in up to 97 per cent of patients, with most of them responding within hours of the first injection.

Joe Jimenez, chief executive of the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Division, said: “We are excited by the latest approval because Ilaris represents a significant therapeutic advance for patients with this debilitating and sometimes fatal disease.”

Earlier this month, Novartis was granted the rights to market the schizophrenia drug Fanapt (iloperidone), an antipsychotic therapy that is scheduled to be launched in early 2010.