First Launch Of Boehringer Ingelheim's Nevirapine

Boehringer Ingelheim has launched its new HIV treatment Viramune (nevirapine) in the USA, the first world market for the drug. The product will be marketed in the USA by BI subsidiary Roxane Laboratories.

Nevirapine is the first non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor to reach the market. BI notes that it will be marketed as a potential alternative to the protease inhibitors in combination drug therapy for HIV-infected patients. Several studies presented at the recent XI International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver revealed that the drug could achieve a profound and durable reduction in viral load when given in combination with nucleoside analog drugs (Marketletter July 22).

Interestingly, labelling for nevirapine warns against combining the drug with protease inhibitors, since there is some evidence that it can decrease plasma concentrations of these inhibitors. Both nevirapine and the protease inhibitors approved to date are metabolized by the cytochrome P450 isozyme. To investigate this, Boehringer is conducting pharmacokinetic interaction studies with Roche's Invirase (saquinavir) and is planning studies with Merck & Co's Crixivan (indinavir) and Abbott Laboratories' Norvir (ritonavir).