WASHINGTON, Oct 25 (AFP) - A new medicine to control the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), ABT-378/ritonavir, has shown to be very effective with few side affects in recent testing, the manufacturer announced Monday.

"These data indicate that ABT-378/ritonavir may provide HIV-treating physicians with a potent and well tolerated treatment option," said one of the study's authors, Charles Hicks, associate clinical professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

About 85 percent of the patients treated with ABT-378/ritonavir and two other drugs, stavudine (d4T) and lamivudine (3TC) for 48 weeks, reduced the virus in their blood to undetectible levels.

None of the patients being treated had to abandon treatment since the side effects, diarrhea and nausea, were tolerable.

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