Pediatric formulation for HIV drug approved
HIV-positive patients aged 12 years and older can save money on medical bills by purchasing medications such as Viread through a Canadian internet pharmacy.
HIV-positive patients aged 12 years and older can save money on medical bills by purchasing medications such as Viread through a Canadian internet pharmacy. These medications may soon be more available to individuals as young as two years because of a recent approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as reported by Drugs.com.
Viread, the brand name for tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, helps fight HIV by disrupting an early stage of the virus' life cycle, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HIV-positive adults have been able to use the 300 milligram (mg) formulation in combination with other drugs since 2001, the news source said. Adolescents as young as 12 years have been cleared to take the drug since 2010. A powdered formula is also available for those who cannot swallow pills.
Administration for patients as young as two was determined by age and weight.
Based on a Phase III safety and efficacy trial, the FDA has approved the use of formulations of 150, 200 and 250 mg for patients aged between two and 12.
"We are very pleased to provide an important new therapeutic option for younger HIV patients, and will work to make the pediatric formulations of Viread available as quickly as possible," said Norbert Bischofberger, PhD, of Gilead Sciences, which manufactures Viread.
Around the world, about 2.5 million children under 15 are living with HIV, Gilead said.
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