Kivexa, a new single-pill combination of the antiviral drugs abacavir (Ziagen) and lamivudine (3TC) became available for S100 prescription from 1 December.

Manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, Kivexa combines two of the most widely-used HIV drugs in a single, once-daily tablet, reducing the number of pills which must be taken by people on these medications from three per day to one. While Kivexa is not a new anti-HIV drug, its availability on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) represents a helpful advance by simplifying treatment options for people for whom this medication is appropriate.

Recent years have seen a strong trend towards simpler HIV treatment regimens requiring fewer pills, the idea being that the fewer doses and pills a person has to take, the better their adherence will be.

“Adherence to complex treatment regimens can be a real problem for people living with HIV,” said John Daye, NAPWA’s Health and Treatments Portfolio Co-Convenor, who described the increasing availability of once-daily treatment regimens as “an important advance.”

Marketed in the United States as ‘Epzicom’, Kivexa combines two antiretrovirals which have been shown to be effective in suppressing HIV replication when taken in combination with other drugs. “Kivexa provides potent and durable virological control and is compatible with multiple recommended third agents, including non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) and boosted protease inhibitors (PIs), said Professor David Cooper, Director of the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research.

Kivexa tablets contain 600mg of abacavir and 300mg of 3TC. Studies have shown that the single tablet formulation has similar potency and side effects as the two component drugs. People currently taking abacavir and 3TC should continue taking their current medications as prescribed, and discuss dosing requirements with their doctor or pharmacist if switched to Kivexa.