FDA approves once-daily Kaletra

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a once-daily version of Abbott Laboratories' HIV protease inhibitor Kaletra, The Wall Street Journal reports. The drug had previously been approved for twice-daily dosage. A 48-week study of 190 treatment-naive HIV-positive adults showed that once-daily dosing of the medication was as effective in controlling HIV viral replication as twice-daily dosing. Kaletra, the most frequently prescribed protease inhibitor in the United States, is recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services for use in first-line HIV therapy along with Epivir and either Retrovir or Zerit. The new once-daily formulation of Kaletra will be offered in both liquid and soft gel capsules, say Abbott officials.