TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the new GlaxoSmithKline anti-AIDS drug Lexiva (fosamprenavir calcium), among a class of drugs known as protease inhibitors.
The drug offers more flexible dosing than similar medicines, the company says. There are no food and water restrictions, and the two-pill dose can be taken once or twice daily with or without other drugs, versus as many as eight times daily with other anti-AIDS medicines.
The drug, formerly known as 908, was co-developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a Boston-based biotech firm. The medication's safety and effectiveness was demonstrated in clinical trials involving more than 1,200 people, Glaxo says.
Here is the Glaxo press release announcing the approval. For more about HIV/AIDS drugs, visit the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.
