FDA Grants sNDA for Bristol-Myers Squibb´s Reyataz

Bristol-Myers Squibb announced the U.S. health regulating agency has approved its HIV drug Reyataz for use with ritonavir as part of a once-daily combination therapy in previously untreated HIV patients.

Reyataz, a protease inhibitor, was first approved in the U.S. in 2003, and had revenue for $ 623 million dollars in the first half of this year. Bristol Myers has two other HIV drugs on the market, Sustiva and Baraclude.

Ritonavir is Abbott´s Norvir, and one of the ingredients in the same company´s other HIV drug, Kaletra (ritonavir/lopinavir). Kaletra had sales of $ 708 million dollars in 1H2008.