Update: Novartis gets first approval for Elidel

The US Food and Drug Administration approved Novartis' Elidel(pimecrolimus) Cream 1% for use in mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis or eczema, a few days in advance of the agency's deadline of December 18. The USA is the first country to clear the new product, which also represents the first alternative to corticosteroids in the treatment of this common skin complaint that is estimated to affect 17% of the US population.

With a US launch anticipated early this year, Elidel will be one of the first new treatments for eczema since topical corticosteroids were introduced almost 50 years ago, said Novartis in a statement.

Narrower indication than hoped