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| |  Lamisil Now Available OTC In The U.S. For Athlete's Foot Treatment SUMMIT, N.J. -- May 11 -- Novartis Consumer Health’s Lamisil(R) AT(TM) (terbinafine HCl) is now available in the United States as an over-the-counter (OTC) treatment of athlete's foot. Recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to switch from prescription to OTC status, Lamisil AT Cream is the only OTC medication that cures athlete's foot with just one week of treatment. All other OTC athlete's foot medications require four weeks of treatment. Lamisil is the first major treatment advance in the OTC athlete's foot category in 50 years. Despite the fact that all previous OTC athlete's foot products require four weeks of treatment to cure athlete's foot, data show that 85 percent of sufferers treat athlete's foot for two weeks or less. Due to this behavior, most individuals may not fully eliminate the fungus, and recurrence of the infection can occur. Since the Lamisil AT Cream treatment regimen is consistent with consumer behavior, those who have struggled in the past with recurrent athlete's foot are likely to achieve a successful cure. A clinical study showed that athlete's foot sufferers cured with Lamisil AT Cream were still athlete's foot-free three months after first use. "People tend to use over-the-counter athlete's foot treatments only until their symptoms are relieved," said Nardo Zaias, MD, director of dermatology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL. "Existing OTC medications temporarily relieve the symptoms, but because they cannot eliminate the fungus with a one-week treatment regimen, very often the athlete's foot comes back. With Lamisil AT, we now have an over-the-counter medication that kills the fungus and cures the condition when used the way consumers behave." Lamisil AT Cream contains prescription-strength terbinafine HCl and differs from other over-the-counter antifungal remedies in that in laboratory tests it actually kills the fungi that cause the infection, rather than only inhibiting fungal growth. As a prescription product, Lamisil cream was the number-one prescribed treatment for athlete's foot, with more than one million prescriptions in 1998 alone. Lamisil AT Cream also treats jock itch and body ringworm and is now available in pharmacies, mass merchandise stores and supermarkets nationwide. Lamisil(R) (terbinafine HCl tablets) Tablets, the number one prescribed oral antifungal for onychomycosis (nail fungal disease), and Lamisil Solution, 1% (terbinafine hydrochloride solution) spray will continue to be available by prescription only. Athlete's foot, or tinea pedis, is a fungal infection of the foot affecting more than 26 million Americans, or one out of 10 people, every year. As much as 75 percent of the U.S. population will experience its irritating symptoms at some point in their lives. Athlete's foot affects people differently. In some, the skin between the third, fourth and fifth toes becomes white, moist and can be easily rubbed off. Sometimes there is a red, dry, flaky quality to the skin. Most people complain of intense itching, blisters and cracking. A large percentage of sufferers are men between the ages of 25-54. Athlete's foot can spread from one person to the next. A common way to contract athlete's foot is walking barefoot on contaminated surfaces, such as in public or home bathrooms, swimming pools or locker rooms. Also, sharing bath mats and showers with someone who is infected should be avoided. Poor hygiene, friction from shoes that fit too tightly, prolonged moist skin in hot weather and minor skin injuries also increase susceptibility. Related Links: Lamisil, Novartis Consumer Health
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