Bristol-Myers Squibb receives EU approval for HIV drug Evotaz

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that its new combination HIV-1 therapy Evotaz has been approved by the European Commission.

The atazanavir/cobicistat tablets have been approved for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infected adults without known mutations associated with resistance to atazanavir.

Evotaz is the first and only fixed-dose combination of a protease inhibitor pharmacoenhanced by cobicistat that is supported by comparative phase III trial data. It has been shown to deliver proven suppression for up to 144 weeks.

The product is the result of a collaboration between Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences, which created the pharmacokinetic enhancer cobicistat and markets it under the brand name Tybost.

Murdo Gordon, head of worldwide markets at Bristol-Myers Squibb, said: "The increase in new infections in recent years in Europe means that it is more important than ever to continue to deliver new treatment options to help patients achieve virologic suppression."

This comes after the company received EU approval for its drug Opdivo as a treatment for advanced melanoma in adults last month.