Wyeth’s constipation drug wins European approval

Relistor subcutaneous injection is indicated for opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in patients with advanced illness who are receiving palliative care, when response to the usual laxative therapy has not been sufficient.

Wyeth’s Relistor is now approved for use across all 27 EU member states as well as Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. Currently, Relistor is already approved for use in OIC in the US and Canada, and undergoing regulatory review in Australia.

Commercial launch of Relistor in Europe will be rolled out on a country-by-country basis, with the first launch anticipated to occur later July 2008.

Stevo Knezevic, chief medical officer of EMEA at Wyeth Europa, said: “We are delighted with the European Medicines Agency’s (EMEA) approval of Relistor. Both patients with advanced illness and their physicians will have the option of an innovative first-in-class treatment which finally targets the underlying cause of opioid-induced constipation.”