AIDS drug wins over FDA

A new AIDS drug has been given preliminary approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to documents released on Friday (August 31st).

The FDA has said that the benefits of the pill, called Isentress, outweigh the risks, however it is still to be reviewed on Wednesday (September 5th).

The drug, which has been produced by Merck & Co, is designed for those who have become resistant to HIV medicines, but the FDA documents did note that it produces a rash and increases levels of protein creatine in the blood.

If Isentress is given formal approval by the FDA, it will be one of a new range of medicines that stop HIV genetic material entering human DNA.

According to the Global Health Council, 40.3 million people were living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2005. Around 17.5 million of these were women and children under the age of 15 accounted for 2.4 million. Furthermore, 4.9 million became infected with HIV in the same year.