PFIZER JAPAN GETS ZYVOX APPROVAL

Pfizer Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of the U.S.-based drugmaker, has received approval from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for an additional indication for 600 mg Zyvox (linezolid) tablets and injection, the company's proprietary antibacterial agent, Pfizer reported.

The drug is now available for the treatment of infections associated with methicillin-resistant ataphylococcus aureus.

Zyvox, which has been marketed in Japan since 2001, is currently used in the treatment of infections associated with vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VREF) — a type of bacteria that affects the digestive tract. In 2000, the U.S. FDA approved the drug for VREF, hospital-acquired pneumonia and skin and skin-structure infections.