Aurobinda receives FDA approval for generic version of Sustiva

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave tentative approval to Indian drugmaker Aurobinda Pharma to make a generic version of the brand-name anti-HIV medication Sustiva. The drug will be immediately available for purchase and distribution in developing countries through the five-year, $15 billion President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The generic drug will not be sold in the United States or other Western nations because of patent protections on Sustiva. "By making these safe and effective treatments available through the PEPFAR program as quickly as possible, we are helping to combat" the global AIDS pandemic, said Health and Human Services secretary Mike Leavitt in a press release.