Schering-Plough reports Noxafil recommendation

Schering-Plough has announced that Noxafil (posaconazole) has been recommended for use to prevent invasive Aspergillus infections in certain high-risk patients.

The compound received the highest A-1 rating in the Treatment of Aspergillosis: Clinical Practice Guidelines published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

Noxafil has been recommended for the prevention of invasive fungal infections due to Aspergillus in neutropenic patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia or myelodysplastic syndromes, as well as haemotopoietic stem cell transplant patients with significant graft-versus-host disease.

In March 2007, the compound received the highest category-one recommendation for the prevention of infections in high-risk cancer patients in the Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).

John Perfect, director of the Duke University Mycology Research Unit, said: “The IDSA and NCCN recommendations, coupled with strong pivotal clinical data, highlight the importance of posaconazole prophylaxis as a key therapeutic strategy for the prevention of invasive Aspergillus infections in high-risk patients.”

He added it is critical to prevent the occurrence of these infections as they are difficult to treat and have a high associated death rate.

In November 2006, Noxail received new marketing approvals from the European Commission.