Viragen International’s Multiferon, natural human alpha interferon, has been approved for sale in Chile. The Chilean regulatory authorities approved an application filed by Viragen’s distribution partner, Pentafarma S.A., which holds the exclusive rights to distribute the drug in Chile. Pentafarma is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care.

“This is a compelling market opportunity for us, as a significant percentage of patients fail or cannot tolerate existing interferon regimens, and Multiferon targets an unmet clinical need for those patients in Chile,” Pentafarma’s general manager, Peter Endler stated adding, “We have placed an initial order to commence our sales programme and distribute Multiferon for all of its approved indications.”

Multiferon is now approved in Chile for the second-line treatment of any and all diseases in which recombinant interferon therapy failed, possibly due to the formation of neutralizing antibodies. As an alternative to single-subtype, recombinant alpha interferons, Multiferon is primarily marketed for the treatment of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, chronic myelogenous leukemia, hairy cell leukemia, renal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma.

Headquartered in Santiago, Pentafarma S.A. is a specialized leader for the distribution of healthcare products related to dialysis, nephrology and other critical care drugs and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care, one of the world’s largest, integrated providers of products and services for chronic kidney failure.