Abbott’s Kaletra tablets approved by European commission

Abbott’s once-daily Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) tablets have received marketing approval from the European commission, the company has announced.

Kaletra is Abbott’s leading HIV protease inhibitor (PI), in adult patients new to HIV therapy and is now approved for once-daily as well as twice-daily use among these patients in combination with other antiretroviral agents.

This, the organisation explains, will offer physicians greater treatment options when deciding upon which therapies to administer to patients who have contracted the virus.

Scott Brun, divisional vice-president of infectious disease development at Abbott, said: “Once-daily dosing of a co-formulated tablet, such as Kaletra, is especially important for patients whose life circumstances present challenges to treatment compliance.”

Abbott made a further announcement last week that it plans to acquire minimally invasive cardiac valve repair technology company Evalve. The move is part of its intentions to raise its profile in the field of non-surgical treatment options for structural heart repair.