Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune - Saturday, September 19, 1998
Andrew Zajac
Supplies of capsulized Norvir will run out within the next month, unless the production glitch can be identified and remedied, a company spokeswoman told Reuters Friday.
The loss of the capsule will leave patients reliant on a liquid form of Norvir, which is in plentiful supply and effective, but foul-tasting.
Abbott reported problems making Norvir (ritonavir) capsules on July 27. The North Chicago-based company said a manufacturing flaw produced crystals that altered the way the capsules dissolved.
None of the flawed drug was distributed.
Norvir is used by about 60,000 AIDS patients.
Physicians recommend masking the taste of liquid Norvir by taking it with chocolate products such as cake or a milkshake.
Norvir, with $170 million in sales in 1997, is the fourth best-selling protease inhibitor, a category of drug used to combat HIV, usually in concert with other compounds, among them AZT.
Protease inhibitors block the production of enzymes in the human immunodeficiency virus, and their use in "cocktails" of HIV drugs is thought to be a major factor in the decline in AIDS deaths in the U.S.
Researchers at this year's World AIDS Conference in Geneva reported that Norvir increased the effectiveness of related drugs, resulting in a more potent treatment of HIV.
Abbott maintains a Web site, http://www.norvir.com, on the drug.
Protease inhibitors are a $2.2 billion market, and Norvir was projected to yield about $250 million in revenue this year.
When the production problem was reported, Abbott said it did not believe the difficulty would affect the revenue target for the drug.
Other versions of the drug include market leader Crixivan, made by Merck & Co. Inc., Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Viracept and Roche Holding Ltd.'s Invirase.
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