Canada: New Weapon in AIDS Arsenal

Tibotec, manufacturer of the protease inhibitor Prezista, announced that the drug has been added to the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary.

The move means the drug's cost, $1,000 Canadian ($925 US) per month, will be covered under the Ontario Drug Benefit Program for qualified HIV patients who are resistant to at least two other protease inhibitors. Health Canada approved Prezista for sale last July under a fast-track policy that lets patients gain early access to promising new drugs.

Earlier this year, the Common Drug Review, a national body that evaluates the clinical and cost effectiveness of new drugs, recommended adding Prezista to publicly funded drug plans in Canada. Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia have done so. Only a small percentage of Canada's 58,000 HIV patients have developed resistance to mainline antiretrovirals.

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