FDA approves new drug by Merck to fight AIDS

The new pill, manufactured by Merck & Company, to treat patients with HIV AIDS has received federal approval. Pharmacy stores are expected to stock the drug within two weeks.

The drug is effective at treating HIV-positive people who have shown resistance to available treatments.

Also known as Raltegravir, the drug costs $27 a day or $9,855 a year and should be taken twice a day.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it is the first in a new class of medicines that blocks the third enzyme used to reproduce and infect cells, called Integrase.

Currently, there are numerous drugs available in the market that targets two of those enzymes, called protease and reverse transcriptase.

FDA approved the use of Isentress in patients over age 16 whose blood tests show they are resistant to common older medications. Side effects include diarrhea, nausea, headache and itching.

It is the second novel HIV drug to win FDA approval in two months after the approval of Pfizer Inc.'s Selzentry. Selzentry however works by blocking a passage that is used by HIV to enter white blood cells.

FDA approves new drug by Merck to fight AIDS

The new drug is considered a break-through on the fight against HIV/AIDS.