FINDINGS

New Drug to Treat HIV Gets Green Light From Government

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A new drug to treat HIV won federal approval Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration said it approved Prezista for the treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus. The drug is the first approved HIV medication for its maker, Johnson & Johnson, and the first new HIV drug approved in a year.

The drug, also known as darunavir, is a member of the protease inhibitor class of drugs. They work by blocking protease, a protein the virus needs to make more copies of itself. Since 1995, the FDA has approved 10 other protease inhibitors.

The major side effects of this class of drugs are high cholesterol and blood sugar, as well as lipodystrophy, or the redistribution of body fat. Protease inhibitors typically are taken as part of a cocktail of drugs.

Prezista is meant for use in patients who do not respond to treatment with other antiretroviral drugs, the FDA said.

The FDA approved Prezista to be taken with a low dose of Norvir, a protease inhibitor made by Abbott Laboratories, in combination with other HIV drugs, the FDA said. Norvir, also called ritonavir, slows the metabolism of Prezista, boosting its effect.

Prezista -- taken as two pills, twice daily -- will cost $25 a day, the company said.

From News Services

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