Auriga Laboratories, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company with products for the treatment of acute respiratory diseases and dermatological conditions, has announced the launch of Aquoral for the treatment of xerostomia, also known as "dry mouth."

This new, patent-pending, prescription-only product introduction marks Auriga's entrance into the $1 billion xerostomia marketplace.

Beginning in March, Aquoral was rolled out to high-prescribing physicians nationwide via Auriga's expanding 200-member national sales force. Auriga has also launched Aquoral as part of a direct-to-patient campaign.

"Millions of people suffer from dry mouth caused by prescription medications or medical conditions," said Alan Roberts, Auriga's senior vice president of scientific affairs. "Left untreated, dry mouth can have significant consequences including increased tooth decay, mouth ulcerations and infections, painful and difficult speech and swallowing. Aquoral offers a novel, non-systemic approach to treating this widespread condition. It is a lipid-based solution that moistens and lubricates the oral cavity, but unlike water-based, saliva substitutes, forms a lipidic film that helps reduce additional moisture loss and protects against further inflammation."

A recent poll conducted by the Academy of General Dentistry revealed that more than 80 percent of dental patients complain about dry mouth and dry mouth symptoms. Dry mouth is listed as a side effect for more than 400 prescription drugs, including popular antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and treatments for overactive bladder.

There are an estimated 300 million prescriptions written annually for these dry mouth causing medications. In some instances the dry mouth side effect is severe enough that a patient will discontinue the prescribed medication in order to eliminate the discomfort of the dry mouth.

Patients suffering from dry mouth caused by a medical condition, like diabetes or Sjogren's syndrome, are likely to be taking multiple medications and would also benefit from Aquoral's long-lasting relief for dry mouth.

In clinical trials and patient experience to date, Aquoral's non-systemic treatment has yielded very few minor adverse events. Aquoral has no known drug interactions. The product is contraindicated for any patient with a known history of hypersensitivity to any of its ingredients.