The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic version of the drug AZT, commonly used to treat patients suffering from AIDS. By making a generic version of the drug available, the cost of treating AIDS will come down for patients in the United States. This is the first time a generic version of AZT, also known as Zidovudine, has been approved for use in the U.S.
The exclusivity of AZT has now expired and generic versions made by Roxane Laboratories of Columbus, Ohio; Ranbaxy Laboratories of Guragon, India, and Aurobindo Pharma of Hyderabad, India will now hit the American market.
AZT was originally manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and was first approved in 1987 under the name Retrovir. The cost is now approximately $7 per pill.
AZT and other similar drugs are known as anti-retroviral drug. They help stop the reproduction of the AIDS virus in the body. It is usually used in concert with other medications to treat AIDS patients.
'These approvals will now allow those infected with HIV more access to these life-saving drugs within our country,' said Mike Leavitt, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, in a statement.
