FDA OKs Drug to Fight Pneumonia Linked to AIDS

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the sale of a drug to treat a type of pneumonia suffered by 80% of all AIDS patients, Burroughs Wellcome Co. announced Monday.

The drug atovaquone, with the brand name Mepron, will be recommended for people who cannot take the drug trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazone to treat mild to moderate cases of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, or PCP.

“Early access and rapid approval of atovaquone mean survival for thousands of people living with AIDS who face the life-and-death consequences of PCP,” said David Peck, an AIDS activist.

Up to 50% of AIDS victims cannot take trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazone because of side effects that include rashes, lowered white blood cell counts, fever, nausea and vomiting.

Burroughs Wellcome said it would cap the annual cost of Mepron for uninsured patients who take more than 411 grams a year. Patients who use more than that will be allowed to receive up to 684 additional grams at no cost during that same year. The company’s price to a wholesaler for 411 grams of Mepron is about $3,500.