Merck Sharpe and Dohme HIV drug accepted for Scottish NHS use

Merck Sharpe and Dohme has had its HIV treatment Isentress approved for use by adult NHS patients in Scotland.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted the drug as a treatment for adult sufferers of the disease who have previously proven resistant to other non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors or protease inhibitors.

This decision was based on the results from a recent phase III clinical trial, which demonstrated the efficacy of Isentress in reducing HIV viral loads when administered in conjunction with optimised background therapy.

Professor Clifford Leen, consultant physician for infectious diseases at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, said the SMC decision is “great news” for patients experiencing tolerance issues with older antiretroviral drugs.

He added: “The approval by the SMC means that more patients can now access a new drug from a different class if a change is required.”

Earlier this month, Merck Sharpe and Dohme published its financial breakdown for the first quarter, reporting year-on-year sales improvements due to its recent merger with Schering-Plough.