Novartis' Tyzeka cleared in the USA for HBV

Swiss drug major Novartis says that Tyzeka (telbivudine) has been approved in the USA as a new once-a-day oral treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B, a disease estimated to affect about 1.25 million people in the USA but more than 350 million globally and considered the tenth leading cause of death. According to the firm, taken with or without food, Tyzeka suppresses the hepatitis B virus rapidly and profoundly in adult patients with evidence of viral replication and either persistent elevations in serum aminotransferase levels or histologically-active disease. Already available in Switzerland, telbivudine will be marketed by Novartis as Sebivo outside the USA.