January 28, 2009

New Heat-Stable Norvir Tablet Sent to FDA for Approval

Paperwork for a new heat-stable tablet formulation of Norvir (ritonavir) has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval, according to an announcement by the drug’s maker, Abbott Laboratories. Unlike the current Norvir capsules, the new tablet will not have to be refrigerated.

Norvir is a protease inhibitor that is primarily used to boost the blood levels of other antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. Abbott used the same technology to produce the new tablet that it used to make a tablet version of its drug Kaletra (ritonavir plus lopinavir). The company first released data about how the body absorbed the new Norvir tablet, compared with the old capsule, at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City in August 2008.

Abbott commented that the new tablet will be a boon for patients in developing countries, who often don’t have access to refrigerators. They did not, however, announce the price for the new tablet, which will likely affect how widely the drug will be used. There was a great deal of controversy when Abbott raised the price of the capsule form of Norvir several years ago by 400 percent.

Search: Norvir, heat-stable, ritonavir, Kaletra, lopinavir, Abbott, protease inhibitor

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Scott, boxermc2@aol.com, 2009-01-29 14:51:23
Ah yes, good 'ol Abbott labs, increases the cost of nearly toxic Norvir by 400%. I'll agree it works, but please, 400%? Development costs my ass.