DETAILS:
As of February 15, Roche has discontinued the U.S. sale and
distribution of Fortovase, the soft-gel formulation of the protease
inhibitor saquinavir. Roche has taken this action due to a significant
decline in the demand for Fortovase, along with the fact that the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) treatment guidelines no
longer recommend Fortovase as a component of a preferred or alternative
initial treatment regimen. Invirase
will now be the only formulation of saquinavir available. It requires
fewer pills each day, is associated with fewer stomach-related side
effects and does not require refrigeration.
INVIRASE DOSING: Invirase
should be taken with low doses of Norvir (ritonavir), another protease
inhibitor that boosts Invirase levels in the body. (Invirase suffers
from absorption problems, meaning that only a small amount of the drug
is absorbed into the bloodstream from the gut.) Invirase (two 500 mg
tablets twice daily) combined with Norvir (one 100 mg capsule twice
daily) was approved by the FDA in December 2003 for this purpose.
MORE INFO:
http://www.rocheusa.com/
