On the eve of World AIDS day, Cipla. announced its readiness to supply its combinations Tenofovir/ Emtricitabine / Efavirenz and Tenofovir/ Lamivudine /Efavirenz with a dose of 400 mg of Efavirenz as a first-line initial therapy for HIV infection.
“Studies now support the use of Efavirenz 400 mg as a substitute for Efavirenz 600 mg in cases where there is no co-infection with tuberculosis. Efavirenz 600 mg is currently used in antiretroviral therapy (ART) and is highly effective.
It added that, however, it is known to have significant side effects, which can be very distressing for those taking it for the treatment of HIV infection.
It is expected that this improved formulation will help improve patient adherence as well as significantly reduce the cost of treatment. In addition, it will also significantly reduce the pill size.
Reducing the dose of Efavirenz in current first-line combination therapy to 400 mg will contribute to reducing costs without modifying the effectiveness of treatment. It is expected that new guidelines for HIV treatment will include this dose reduction to Efavirenz 400 mg, Cipla said.
Shares of Cipla were trading at Rs 648.85 apiece, up 0.97 percent, on the BSE.
By Ruchi Singh
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
