The Scoop:
The FDA approved Valeant's ($VRX) 1% luliconazole topical cream Luzu late in 2013 for the treatment of fungal infections such as athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm. For the latter two conditions, it is the first topical drug to work in one week.
Originally developed by Palo Alto-based Topica Pharmaceuticals, Medicis grabbed the license to luliconazole in 2010. And when Valeant bought out Medicis late in 2012 for $2.6 billion, the treatment came along with it.
Fungal infections are caused by the organisms Trichophyton rubrum and Epidermophyton floccosum, Valeant wrote in a release. And luliconazole is considered the most powerful antifungal molecule, many times more potent than other approved treatments. The agent, which has been approved in Japan since 2005, is designed to penetrate nail beds to combat the fungus with limited side effects.