People afflicted with AIDS will have another opportunity for treatment now that the Food and Drug Administration has granted its approval for a new HIV drug from GlaxoSmithKline.
Epzicom is a combination of two earlier AIDS drugs, and it is taken in a one-pill-a-day dosage. The FDA approved it for prescription use on Monday.
Epizicom combines Epivir and Ziagen, which are so-called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.
GSK announced that it was launching the drug with a voucher program that provides patients with a 60-day supply at no costs. The vouchers are available through healthcare providers, the company said.
“Epzicom marks an important advance in GSK’s ongoing commitment to provide new options in antiretroviral therapy for HIV patients,” said Doug Manion, vice president for HIV Clinical Research for the Infectious Diseases Medicines Development Center at GSK, in a statement.
Manion said 2.64 million patients already receive Epivir and 509,000 take Ziagen.
GSK: www.gsk.com
