E-DRUG: Heat-stable Lop/r for Africa thanks to MSF (2)
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More about liponavir/ritonavir ('Kaletra') Information from MSF website:
http://www.accessmed-msf.org/prod/viewcategorydocs.asp?catid=1&subcatid=182
Kaletra' is liponavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) and has been recognized as an essential medicine by the WHO and will be included in its revised antiretroviral treatment guidelines, in which boosted protease inhibitors represent the cornerstone of second-line therapy.
The new version approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in October 2005, has critically important advantages for patients in developing countries: no dietary restrictions, lower pill burden, and most importantly, storage without refrigeration.
Due to the storage requirements of the old formulation, there is the risk that some patients in tropical climates are currently using degraded LPV/r capsules. In short, there is an urgent need in developing countries for access to the new heat-stable formulation of LPV/r, as no other boosted protease inhibitors are practical to use in the hot climates of many of these countries.
Thanks MSF [and Abbott]
Beverley Snell
Senior Fellow
Centre for International Health
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research & Public Health
GPO Box 2284, Melbourne 3001 Australia
http://www.burnet.internationalhealth.edu.au
Telephone 613 9282 2115 / 9282 2275
Fax 61 3 9282 2144 or 9282 2100
Time zone: 10 hours ahead of GMT.
email <bev@burnet.edu.au>
Site: Alfred Medical Research & Education Precinct (AMREP),
85 Commercial Road, Prahran 3181