A single efavirenz tablet that replaces the three capsules currently prescribed has been launched in the UK by Bristol Myers Squibb.
The tablet will cost the same as the three capsule dose, a spokesman for BMS said. This means that NHS trusts will not be discouraged from adopting the new formulation.
The tablet, which looks like a large biscuit-coloured vitamin tablet, is being promoted by BMS as the latest aid to simplifying HIV therapy. The company points to the results of a study carried out amongst patients in Europe which showed that where a regimen consists of four or fewer tablets, patients would prefer to take it once a day.
However, the study also showed that as pill burden increases, the attraction of once daily therapy declines, suggesting that the most likely application of once daily therapy will be in patients taking a first or second HAART regimen that excludes a boosted protease inhibitor.
The drugs that can be taken once daily are: efavirenz, 3TC (lamivudine), tenofovir, and ddI (didanosine). Once daily dosing of nevirapine, abacavir, lopinavir, saquinavir/ritonavir and amprenavir/ritonavir is being tested.