Roche will discontinue two anti-HIV drugs

Low demand is prompting drugmaker Roche to discontinue two of its anti-HIV drugs, AIDSmap.com reports. The company will stop production of its nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor Hivid, also known as ddC, and its protease inhibitor Fortovase. Hivid is rarely prescribed by physicians because studies have shown it can cause peripheral neuropathy in as many as 31% of the HIV patients taking it. Roche's protease inhibitor Fortovase is not as well-tolerated as its other protease drug, Invirase, say company officials. The drugs will be discontinued in 2006 or shortly thereafter.