NFA Applauds the FDA’s Approval of Savella™

ANAHEIM, Calif. (January 16, 2009) —The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Savella™ (milnacipran HCl) for  the management of fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder that affects an estimated 10 million people in the United States. Developed by Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Cypress Bioscience, Inc., Savella is a selective serotonin and norepinephrine dual reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) that has demonstrated significant improvements in multiple aspects of fibromyalgia, including pain, patient global assessment and physical function. It is expected to be available in pharmacies by March 2009.

“The approval of Savella provides another significant treatment option to help reduce the chronic, widespread pain and other symptoms associated with the disorder,” says Rae Marie Gleason, executive director of National Fibromyalgia Association. “Clinicians now have another medication choice to better treat patients with fibromyalgia.” 

Savella is the third FDA-approved drug for the treatment of fibromyalgia. The FDA approved Lyrica (pregabalin) in June 2007 and Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) was approved in June 2008.

Click here to read the full announcement on Savella.

ABOUT THE NFA:
The National Fibromyalgia Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to develop and execute programs dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with fibromyalgia by increasing the awareness of the public, media, government and medical communities. The NFA publishes a quarterly magazine, Fibromyalgia AWARE and hosts an award-winning website at http://www.FMaware.org