ROCKVILLE, Md., April 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Emmes today announced that it provided the data management support for a study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to safely use Acyclovir to treat infants infected with the Herpes Simplex Virus. Acyclovir, known by the brand name Zovirax, now includes recommended usage and dosage for newborns and infants up to three months of age on its label.
The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) mandates that NIH prioritize therapeutic areas in critical need for pediatric labeling, sponsor pediatric clinical trials, and submit the data to the FDA for consideration for labeling changes. The clinical trials are sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), with the labeling reviews and approvals administered by the FDA.
In the NIH news release, Dr. Perdita Taylor-Zapata, BPCA program lead at NICHD, stated: “With this label change, healthcare providers have clear guidance on how to use and prescribe this drug for their youngest patients.”
Newborns can become infected with the virus during pregnancy, labor and delivery, or shortly after birth if the mother develops genital herpes near the end of her pregnancy. The Herpes Simplex Virus in newborns can cause death or long-term problems such as blindness and damage to the brain and other organs.
Emmes has served as a data coordinating center for the BPCA contract since August 2009. This entails study design, data management, regulatory support, pharmacovigilance, site monitoring, and statistical analyses.
Dr. Anne Lindblad, president and chief executive officer of Emmes, said, “This is one of our largest contracts and one that our Emmes team is extremely proud to support. Our role as a data coordinating center is a critical step in the process to study drugs and therapies used for infants and children and determine whether drug labeling updates are needed.”
Click here to read the entire release.