Health News
2005-09-22
First generic
versions of AZT approved
The Food and Drug
Administration has approved the first generic versions
of the anti-HIV medication AZT, a move that could reduce the
The Food and Drug
Administration has approved the first generic versions
of the anti-HIV medication AZT, a move that could reduce the
expense for people in the United States being treated
for the disease. AZT, an antiretroviral drug that is
also known as zidovudine or by its brand name
Retrovir, helps prevent HIV from reproducing in the body. It
is often used in combination with other medications to
treat an HIV infection.
Generic versions
of the drug have previously been unavailable in the
United States because patent or market exclusivity
restrictions prevented them from being marketed. Now
that the patent expired on Saturday, September 17,
versions of the drug manufactured by Roxane Laboratories of
Columbus, Ohio; Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. of New Delhi,
India; and Aurobindo Pharma Ltd. of Hyderabad, India,
have been approved by the FDA to go on the U.S.
market.
“These
approvals will now allow those infected with HIV more access
to these lifesaving drugs within our country,”
said Mike Leavitt, secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Services, in a statement. (AP)
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