The European Medicines Agency has granted orphan drug designation to a drug designed to prevent patients with impaired cell-mediated immunity from developing cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease.

Drug maker ViroPharma said that Camvia, an oral drug currently being studied in phase III clinical trials, had won the European nod after it had been granted orphan drug designation in the US by the Food and Drug Administration.

While most people have CMV in their bodies, the NHS says it does not usually pose serious problems for the carrier's health unless their immune system is not functioning normally, with patients living with HIV, undergoing chemotherapy or taking immune suppressing drugs among those at risk for being adversely affected by the virus.

The organisation adds that kidney damage is a possible side affect of some medications used to treat the condition.

According to ViroPharma, current anti-CMV treatments are not always appropriate for some patients, while some strains of the virus are resistant to a number of the existing drugs.

Masters has over 20 years of experience sourcing orphan drugs as well as medicines undergoing clinical trial for patients who have a special need.

This can include those for whom currently licensed medications are not suitable.