Meda, Medivir to develop, commercialize cold-sore drug

STOCKHOLM, Sweden Meda plans to work with Medivir to commercialize a cold-sore drug in North America, the Swedish drug maker announced.

Meda and Medivir plan to market the drug Xerese (lipsovir) in the United States, Canada and Mexico as a treatment for cold sores, also known as herpes labialis. The drug, a combination of acyclovir and hydrocortisone, received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in July 2009.

Under the deal, Meda will fund commercial development of the drug and pay Medivir $5 million in up-front and pre-launch milestones, as well as double-digit royalties on sales.

“Xerese is a very interesting addition to our product portfolio in the U.S.,” Meda CEO Anders Lonner said in a statement. “It’s already registered and has a unique and differentiating claim. When commercial stock is in place, we will launch it.”