The FDA has approved a new drug in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Viread (tenofovir) is the first drug in the class of HIV drugs known as nucleotide

Two new weapons in the war against HIV

The FDA has recently approved two new drugs that will be used to treat HIV and AIDS. Reyataz (atazanavir) and Emtriva (emtricitabine) will be in pharmacies later this month, giving two new options to patients living with HIV and AIDS. Let's take a look at these two new weapons in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Reyataz (atazanavir)
Once called BMS-232632, this is Bristol Meyer Squibb's entry into the Protease Inhibitor class. The exciting thing about this new PI is that it is the first once a day PI. Supplied in 200mg capsules, Atazanavir will be taken as two capsules once per day. While the drug is not any more potent than other PI's it does seem that the triglyceride and cholesterol problems associated with other PI's such as Kaletra are not a concern in Atazanavir. The new PI is not without it's side effects however. Most notably is the fact that it seems to block the elimination of bilirubin from the blood. Bilirubin is a waste product that is usually removed from the blood by the liver. As the amount of bilirubin rises in the blood, the skin and other mucous membranes will take on a yellow appearance known as jaundice. The jaundice seemed to go away when the drug was stopped and only 1% of trial cases had to stop therapy because of the increase in bilirubin. For more information on Reyataz, take a look at this comprehensive fact sheet.

Emtriva (emtricitabine)
Gilead has received approval for its new nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) Emtriva. FTC as it is also referred to is going to be dosed as a 200mg capsule once per day. The chemical structure of Emtriva is similar to that of the existing HIV drug, Epivir and because of this probably won't be effective in people already showing resistance to Epivir. In studies conducted prior to its approval, the most common side effects seems to be rash, headache and nausea. Keep in mind that this drug is only approved for those patients over the age of 18. One possible result of the introduction of this drug is plans to combine it into one pill with Gilead's other drug Viread. The result would be a once a day 1 pill per day alternative to Combivir. In fact, plans are to conduct studies that would compare the regimens of Viread, Emtriva, and Sustiva vs. a Combivir, Sustiva regimen. For more information on Emtriva, take a look at this comprehensive fact sheet.

Read More

FDA Approves New AIDS Drug

The FDA has approved a new drug in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Viread (tenofovir) is the first drug in the class of HIV drugs known as nucleotide analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The drug acts by blocking reverse transcriptase, an enzyme involved in HIV replication. But Viread differs from other reverse transcriptase inhibitors in that the drug is a nucleotide as opposed to a nucleoside. Being a nucleotide, tenofovir remains in the cell longer, allowing for once a day dosing.

Excitement surrounds the approval of Viread because of its predicted benefit for even the most difficult-to-treat patients. Viread offers patients

• Once a day dosing with one tablet of tenofovir will improve medication adherence and therefore therapy effectiveness.
• Proven effectiveness when used in combination with other HIV drugs even in patients with resistant virus. This provides another chance for those patients who have exhausted all other therapy combinations.
• Resistance that develops slowly which prolongs Viread's effectiveness.
• Well tolerated in studies of almost 1000 patients who have taken Viread in clinical trials.

Like all other HIV drugs, Viread has its share of side effects. They include:

• Mild to moderate nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and flatulence.
• Lactic acidosis and hepatomegaly (enlarged liver) have been seen in other nucleoside drugs alone or in combination with other HIV drugs.
• Bone toxicity has been seen in very high doses in animal studies however this has not been seen in human trials and doses.

Gilead, the makers of Viread will begin shipping their new drug next week. While the new drug will cost about $350 per month ($4135 per year), Gilead is confident that most of that cost will be picked up by the patient's medical insurance.

Read More