WHO Adds New Antiretroviral Drugs to Prequalifications List
The World Health Organization on Thursday announced it has added versions of the antiretroviral drugs tenofovir and efavirenz to its list of prequalified medications for treating HIV/AIDS, Xinhua/People's Daily reports (Xinhua/People's Daily, 3/9). WHO added a dosage of tenofovir produced by Gilead and two different dosages of efavirenz produced by the Netherlands-based Merck subsidiary MSD BV to treat HIV/AIDS. WHO in 2003 recommended tenofovir in its second-line AIDS treatment guidelines, but the agency this year plans to recommend its use for first-line treatment. WHO recommends efavirenz as a first-line treatment and as a preferred treatment for HIV-positive patients coinfected with tuberculosis (WHO release, 3/9).
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