Pfizer Drug Wins OK for Blood Infections

Drug maker Pfizer Inc. on Tuesday said it won regulatory clearance to sell its anti-fungus medicine Vfend to treat serious hospital-acquired bloodstream infections.

The New York-based company said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug in intravenous and oral form to treat infections in patients with low white blood cell counts, deep tissue infections and those in the abdomen, kidney, bladder wall and wounds. The drug is already approved in the United States to treat aspergillosis, an uncommon infection in people with weak immune systems, among other infections. The company said the new approved use covers the fourth-most common hospital-bred infections in the United States. Side effects of Vfend include visual problems, fever, rash, and vomiting, among others. Shares of Pfizer rose 47 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $26.97 on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday morning. (Source: Reuters Health, December 2004)