Navamedic launches Virono®- the first single-dose over-the-counter cold sore tablet

OSLO, Norway, May 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Navamedic ASA (OSE: NAVA) today announces the launch of Virono®, the first over-the-counter single-dose treatment for recurrent cold sores (herpes labialis) in adults. The launch establishes a new OTC treatment category and represents an important step in Navamedic's Nordic Consumer Health growth strategy. Virono is available in Swedish pharmacies from May 2026. Roll-out activities have also been initiated in Finland, while launch in the Netherlands is planned later in 2026. 

Highlights

• A new way to treat cold sores: one tablet per outbreak, applied once at the first sign of symptoms
• Rx-to-OTC switch brings antiviral treatment into self-care for the first time in this format
• Patented Lauriad® mucoadhesive buccal technology delivers aciclovir locally and continuously from a single tablet
• Approximately 80 percent of Swedish adults carry herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), and approximately 1 million Swedes experience at least three outbreaks annually^1,2. OTC cold sore market size value approximately NOK 70 million wholesaler value in Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands⁴.

Expanding Navamedic's Consumer Health portfolio

Virono® is a prescription-free medicine containing 50 mg aciclovir in a mucoadhesive buccal tablet designed for local treatment of recurrent cold sores. The tablet is applied once per outbreak at the first signs of symptoms. Providing an alternative to topical OTC treatments (creams, sticks, patches) that require repeated daily applications.

The launch supports Navamedic's strategy to expand its Consumer Health portfolio through differentiated self-care and OTC products across the Nordics and selected European markets.

"Virono is a good example of how Rx-to-OTC switches can expand access to clinically proven treatments and create new opportunities within self-care. We are pleased to bring this to the Nordic market and look forward to making it available to a broader consumer base across our markets," says Karianne Femtehjell Olsen, Commercial Director Consumer Health & Nutrition, Navamedic.

About Virono®

Virono® (aciclovir 50 mg mucoadhesive buccal tablet) is an OTC medicine for treatment of recurrent herpes labialis (cold sores) in adults with normal immune function. Virono® is applied once per outbreak (single-dose) at the first signs or symptoms. Please read the package leaflet before use or watch the how to use instruction video: www.virono.se/landinpage.³

References

1. https://www.mindoktor.se/halsa-sjukdomar/herpes/ and https://www.doktorn.com/sjukdomar/munherpes-herpes-simplex-orsak-symtom-behandling/
2. Olsson J, Kok E, Adolfsson R, Lövheim H, Elgh F. Herpes virus seroepidemiology in the adult Swedish population. Immunity & Ageing. 2017;14:10.
3. Virono® Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC), 19 November 2025.
4. *Sweden/Finland Signum MAT022026, the Netherlands IMS YTD122021

For more information, please contact:
Commercial – Consumer Health
Karianne Femtehjell Olsen, Commercial Director Consumer Health & Nutrition
Email: kfo@navamedic.com | Tel: +47 45 28 88 26

Media and Investor
Nils Ole Krekling, Chief Financial Officer
Tel: +47 92 42 40 16

About Navamedic

Navamedic ASA is a full-service provider of high-quality healthcare products to hospitals and pharmacies. Navamedic meets the specific medical needs of patients and consumers by leveraging its highly scalable market access platform, leading category competence and local knowledge. Navamedic is present in all the Nordic countries, the Baltics and Benelux, with sales representation in Greece. Navamedic is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: NAVA). For more information, please visit www.navamedic.com.

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