4 in 1 Combination Pill Receives USFDA Approval for HIV Treatment

Gilead Sciences company has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its combination pill called Genvoya for the treatment of HIV.Genvoya is a combination of its already three HIV drugs called Vitekta, Tybost and Emtriva which has the active ingredient tenofovir alafenamide. The drug gets into cells where HIV copies itself reducing drug levels in the bloodstream and with that, side effects including kidney damage and reduced bone density.

It is administered once a day and may cause some side effects like nausea, severe liver problems and a dangerous buildup of lactic acid in the blood. Therefore FDA has given its black box warning for the drug.

"While exceptional progress has been made in the field of HIV, there is still a need for new treatment options that may help improve the health of people as they grow older with the disease," said John C. Martin, Gilead CEO.

The drug has been approved for patients aged 12 and older who have never taken HIV medicines, and for adult patients whose HIV had been suppressed by other treatments for at least six months. Genvoya should not be given with other antiretroviral products and may have drug interactions with a number of other commonly used medications.

Source-Medindia