CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Two drug companies announced Monday that they will collaborate on developing the first all-in-one, once-a-day pill to treat HIV infection--a long-sought goal that would make it much easier for patients to stick with their medication. Currently, the best AIDS treatment requires patients to take two to four pills a day. Less than a decade ago, many patients had to take 25 to 30 pills a day, often at precise times and under specific conditions such as with food, making it extremely difficult for patients to stick to the complex schedule. Missing doses makes it easier for the virus to mutate and become resistant to medication. In the first collaboration by competing AIDS drug makers, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Gilead Sciences Inc. formed a joint venture to test and market a single pill combining three widely used medicines from two different classes of AIDS drugs. Because the three individual drugs already are on the market, the once-a-day combination could be approved and on sale as soon as the second half of 2006, said David Rosen, a spokesman for Bristol-Myers Squibb. "To have it all in a single pill is terrific," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the Associated Press. The combination pill will include Sustiva, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb. It also will include two AIDS drugs made by Gilead Sciences of Foster City, Calif.: Viread and Emtriva. The latter two drugs are from the same class of AIDS drugs, but they block copying of the AIDS virus at two different points early in its replication cycle. Sustiva is from a different class of drugs and attacks the virus later in the cycle. "It's the first time ever that two companies with competing products have worked together," said Michael Saag, director of the AIDS Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "This is something patient advocates and a lot of physicians have been pushing for for over a decade." Fauci also said such partnerships are crucial. "We hope it's the beginning of future collaborations," he said.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Pride
Yahoo FeedCrafting diversity and inclusivity in beauty with Fashion Foundry
March 20 2024 5:27 PM
Anti-transgender hate crimes spike, leading to calls for a public health emergency
March 20 2024 4:42 PM
Sydney Sweeney, Scott Evans and all the stars at the GLAAD Awards
March 20 2024 4:30 PM
Black LGBTQ+ youth need spaces that embrace them fully, researchers say
March 20 2024 3:43 PM
Lesbian teacher settles federal discrimination lawsuit with Maine district
March 20 2024 3:41 PM