US Pharm. 2011;36(6):8.
Gaithersburg, MD—The FDA has approved Edurant (rilpivirine) in combination with other antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults who are treatment-naïve. The drug is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) that is to be used as part of a highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen designed to suppress viral load in the blood. Edurant showed efficacy similar to efavirenz, another FDA-approved NNRTI. In two phase III trials of 1,368 patients with HIV, 83% had undetectable amounts of HIV in their blood after 48 weeks of treatment. The most common side effects were depression, insomnia, headache, and rash. The drug is manufactured by Tibotec Therapeutics, a division of Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc.To comment on this article, contact rdavidson@uspharmacist.com.
