我国自主研发抗艾滋病新药获批上市
China's first domestically developed long-acting injectable AIDS drug will be available to the public in August, and is expected to benefit tens of thousands of people infected with HIV. The drug, Albuvirtide, was recently approved by the State Drug Administration, according to a notice on the administration's website. Developed by Nanjing-based Frontier Biotechnologies, the drug is said to be able to block the fusion of the virus and host cell membranes, interrupting the HIV life cycle in its earliest stage. It could potentially enhance patient compliance, improve quality of life and reduce treatment costs for HIV-infected patients, according to the company. Its price has not been released yet. Zhao Jianzhong, an official with the administration's drug approval center, said in a news report that the drug "offers a new option for HIV treatment" in China. "We encourage clinical research and the domestic development of drugs, and at the same time, we are accelerating the introduction of imported drugs to meet the urgent needs of our HIV/AIDS patients," said Wang Tao, the head of the administration's drug approval center. |