Glaxo HIV drug gets EU approval

Trizivir has already been approved in the US

The UK merging drug giant GlaxoSmithKline has won approval from the European Commission for its new HIV treatment,Trizivir.

The drug, which the manufacturer claims to be the first medicine containing three anti-HIV therapies in one tablet, had in November secured US approval.

The news failed to lift Glaxo shares, which were falling on Thursday along with most pharmaceutical stocks, as investors switched their buying focus back to technology and telecoms issues.

In mid-afternoon trading in London, the shares stood at 1,733p, down 124p on the day.

A convenient dose

Glaxo had said Trizivir's benefits particularly related to the convenient way the dose can be taken, compared to the treatments currently available to HIV sufferers - only one tablet twice a day, with no food or water restrictions.

The drug's three active ingredients are abacavir sulphate, lamivudine and zidovudine.

Combining the three substances in one tablet "should help people living with HIV to more easily incorporate medication into their daily routine," Glaxo said.

The Trizivir treatment will complement a number of other Glaxo treatments for HIV - the virus that causes Aids.

Trizivir has also already been approved for use in Mexico, Switzerland, Chile, Ghana and Malawi.

Glaxo is in the process of merging with former UK rival SmithKline Beecham to create GlaxoSmithKline - the world's largest drug group by market share.