China's home-made anti-AIDS drug approved to public

A long-acting injectable drug developed in China to treat HIV has been approved for public use by the State Drug Administration. The drug, Albuvirtide, is the first HIV treatment to be developed in China, reports China Central Television.

The drug, Albuvirtide. [Screen shot: China Central Television]

The new drug represents a breakthrough treatment for the many patients with HIV in China who rely on daily doses of imported antiviral drugs. "People with HIV/AIDS used to take several pills every day, but the new drug is a great change, because it can be administered weekly," said Zhao Jianzhong, an official with the administration's drug approval center.

"We encourage clinical research and the domestic development of drugs, and at the same time, we are accelerating the introduction of imported drugs to meet the urgent needs of our HIV/AIDS patients," said Wang Tao, the head of the administration's drug approval center.