terça-feira, julho 18, 2006
Hivid discontinuado
Carta da Roche:
Dear Health Care Professional:
Roche Pharmaceuticals would like to inform you that the sale and distribution of its anti-HIV medication HIVID® (zalcitabine) Tablets will be discontinued by December 31, 2006. HIVID is one of the first nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), which became available in 1992. While HIVID represented a significant breakthrough at that time, great progress has been made since in the development of HIV treatments and newer NRTIs have generally replaced HIVID.
Current HIV treatment guidelines do not recommend HIVID and several discourage consideration of its use in favor of newer NRTIs. Furthermore, specific recommendations within treatment guidelines state that HIVID should not be administered in combination with ddI, d4T, 3TC or ZDV further limiting the ability to construct a nucleoside backbone containing HIVID. Other NRTIs are available with more favorable risk/benefit profiles, with the result that the use of HIVID has been declining since 1996 and continues to decline. Roche has elected to discontinue HIVID in view of these developments; this is not the result of any safety or efficacy issues regarding the product.
At this time, we encourage physicians to refrain from starting HIVID treatment in their HIV-positive patients. If you are aware of a patient receiving HIVID, please notify the prescribing health care provider (if someone other than yourself) and the patient regarding this announcement. We encourage you or the prescribing health care provider to discuss appropriate alternative treatment regimens with your patients currently receiving HIVID.
Having been at the forefront of HIV research since the beginning of the epidemic, Roche continues to commit significant resources to continuing research, development and partnerships in HIV. Our objective is the development of innovative new therapies to enhance the wellbeing of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Enclosed you will find the complete product information for HIVID. If you have any questions regarding the discontinuation of HIVID, please call the Professional Product Information Department at 1-800-526-6367.
Please see important safety information at the close of this letter.
Sincerely,
Dear Health Care Professional:
Roche Pharmaceuticals would like to inform you that the sale and distribution of its anti-HIV medication HIVID® (zalcitabine) Tablets will be discontinued by December 31, 2006. HIVID is one of the first nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), which became available in 1992. While HIVID represented a significant breakthrough at that time, great progress has been made since in the development of HIV treatments and newer NRTIs have generally replaced HIVID.
Current HIV treatment guidelines do not recommend HIVID and several discourage consideration of its use in favor of newer NRTIs. Furthermore, specific recommendations within treatment guidelines state that HIVID should not be administered in combination with ddI, d4T, 3TC or ZDV further limiting the ability to construct a nucleoside backbone containing HIVID. Other NRTIs are available with more favorable risk/benefit profiles, with the result that the use of HIVID has been declining since 1996 and continues to decline. Roche has elected to discontinue HIVID in view of these developments; this is not the result of any safety or efficacy issues regarding the product.
At this time, we encourage physicians to refrain from starting HIVID treatment in their HIV-positive patients. If you are aware of a patient receiving HIVID, please notify the prescribing health care provider (if someone other than yourself) and the patient regarding this announcement. We encourage you or the prescribing health care provider to discuss appropriate alternative treatment regimens with your patients currently receiving HIVID.
Having been at the forefront of HIV research since the beginning of the epidemic, Roche continues to commit significant resources to continuing research, development and partnerships in HIV. Our objective is the development of innovative new therapies to enhance the wellbeing of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Enclosed you will find the complete product information for HIVID. If you have any questions regarding the discontinuation of HIVID, please call the Professional Product Information Department at 1-800-526-6367.
Please see important safety information at the close of this letter.
Sincerely,
