FDA approves GlaxoSmithKline's raxibacumab for anthrax

LONDON — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new biotech drug from GlaxoSmithKline for anthrax, the drug maker said.

GSK announced the approval of raxibacumab for adults and children who have inhaled Bacillus anthracis. The drug is designed for combination with antibiotics and for preventing inhalational anthrax when alternative therapies aren't available. The drug is the result of a project that Human Genome Sciences, now owned by GSK, began working on in 2001 in response to terrorist anthrax attacks in the United States.

"Raxibacumab is an important part of an ongoing collaboration between GSK and the U.S. government to address a range of public health concerns," GSK SVP and head of infectious diseases Zhi Hong said. "It will be an important addition to the new approaches required to address our critical biodefense needs."

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