FDA OK’s First Once-Daily HIV Pill

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first once-daily pill for HIV/AIDS.

The agency was scheduled to hold a news conference on the groundbreaking approval Tuesday in Washington.

The makers of the new medication are Gilead Sciences and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

As reported by United Press International in late April, the new drug-cocktail-in-a-tablet contains emtricitabine (Emtriva) and tenofovir (Viread), developed by Gilead Sciences, and efavirenz (Sustiva), developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

It is amazing that we are going to have one pill a day for the treatment of HIV when you consider that it was like 10 years ago when patients were taking handfuls of drugs all day long, Cal Cohen, research director for CRI New England and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, told UPI.

But not only is this going to be more convenient, the pill also represents the best drugs we have on the market for treating HIV, he said. These drugs have potency to suppress HIV and yet they have a very safe side-effect profile.