GILEAD, MERCK TO SUPPLY ATRIPLA IN KENYA

Gilead Sciences and Merck have signed an agreement to distribute the new single-dose, once-a-day HIV drug Atripla in Kenya, reports The Nation, based in Nairobi, Kenya. The FDA approved the drug in July, and Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead market it in the U.S.

The FDA also approved an alternate version of Atripla (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenovir disoproxil fumarate) for developing countries in form of a white-colored tablet to distinguish it from the salmon-colored version sold in the United States, according to The Nation.

Gilead and Merck planned to pursue registration of the product with individual country health authorities, according to a joint statement released in Nairobi and obtained by The Nation. According to the agreement, Gilead will manufacture Atripla with efavirenz supplied by Merck, which will also handle distribution.