News - National
FDA flags heart risk with HIV drug combination
Posted: Feb 23, 2010 10:15 AM by Associated Press
The Food and Drug Administration is warning about potential heart risks of combining two anti-HIV drugs.
The agency says preliminary data suggest Roche's Invirase and Abbott Laboratories' Norvir can effect the electrical activity of the heart when used together. The FDA is reviewing data submitted
by Roche on heart activity of patients using its drug with Abbott's Norvir.
FDA says the HIV drug combination can lead to irregular heart rhythms which can cause lightheadedness, fainting, and in some cases death.
The FDA says its review is ongoing.
Invirase was approved in 1995 and is used in combination with Norvir and other anti-viral drugs to control HIV in adults. HIV attacks the body's immune system, eventually causing AIDS.
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