UK LAUNCH OF DIDANOSINE

UK AIDS patients now have access to a second antiviral, in the form of Bristol-Myers Squibb's Videx (didanosine). The drug is indicated for patients who have become intolerant to zidovudine (Wellcome's Retrovir) or who are unsuitable for therapy with the first-line drug.

Videx has been shown in clinical trials to reduce significantly the risk of developing HIV-related infections in patients whose condition has begun to deteriorate while taking zidovudine. In addition, signs of infection such as low-grade fever, sweating and diarrhea disappeared in many patients with concomitant improvements in certain quality of life parameters, such as appetite, energy levels and weight.

Commenting on the approval, Brian Gazzard of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, UK, one of the major trialists for the drug, said that didanosine's availability was a "minor" but useful advance. Patients who fail zidovudine therapy now have an alternative that can extend their antiviral cover and ultimately life expectancy, he said.