1 pill a day to treat AIDS: 3-drug combo expected soon

The first complete treatment for AIDS that is taken once a day as a single pill is expected to be available soon.

The pill, which combines three drugs made by two companies, would be a milestone in improving the simplicity of treating acquired immune deficiency syndrome, experts say. It should make it easier for people to take their medicine regularly, which is important for keeping the virus that causes the disease in check.

Only a decade ago, when cocktails of AIDS drugs were first used, patients often had to take two or three dozen pills a day, some with food, some without, some so frequently patients had to get up in the middle of the night. Since then, the regimens have been whittled down to as few as two pills a day, and now, one.

Keith Folger of Washington, who started on 36 pills a day 11 years ago and plans to switch to the new pill, said the pill would be "remarkable, especially for people who are starting on medication for the first time."

The new drug is a combination of drugs already on the market — Sustiva sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Truvada, sold by Gilead Sciences. Truvada combines two Gilead drugs, Viread and Emtriva.

Food and Drug Administration approval is expected as soon as this week.

The companies have not revealed the drug's name or price but have suggested it will cost roughly the same as Sustiva and Truvada bought separately — about $1,200 a month.

Doctors and securities analysts expect most people now taking those drugs separately to switch to the new pill.

A single pill could be especially important in poor countries, where patients have less access to medical care and more people are illiterate.

Bristol-Myers and Gilead say they will make the new pill available at a sharply reduced price for developing nations.