FDA Approves Bristol Myers Squibb's Videx

Treating HIV infection when used in combination with other medicines. Videx Chewable/Dispersible Buffered Tablets are a nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor that stops the growth of HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS.

Videx EC is an HIV medications. It is in a category of HIV medications called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). NRTIs prevent HIV from altering the genetic material of healthy CD4 cells. This prevents the cells from producing new virus and decreases the amount of virus in the body.

Videx, manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb, was the second drug approved for the treatment of HIV, and was originally approved as a chewable or desolvable tablet by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1991. Videx EC capsules were approved by the FDA in 2000 and have since replaced Videx tablets.

Generic versions of delayed-release didanosine (similar to Videx EC), manufactured by Barr Laboratories, are now available. It was approved by the FDA in December 2004.

Videx EC must be used in combination with at least two other HIV drugs.

What type of drug is Videx EC?

Videx EC belongs to a class of HIV drugs called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), also known as nucleoside analogs or “nukes.”

This drug was originally available as a tablet called Videx. Videx tablets were discontinued and replaced by Videx EC, which is an easier-to-take capsule version of the same drug.

How does Videx EC work?

Videx EC and the other NRTIs block reverse transcriptase, a protein that HIV needs to make more copies of itself. This may slow down HIV disease.

Videx is used in conjunction with other medications to treat HIV and AIDS. Although it is not a cure for HIV or AIDS, the drug does help prevent the HIV virus from multiplying. Videx comes in the form of delayed-release capsules and as an oral solution, and is usually taken once or twice a day. Potential side effects include diarrhea, nerve problems, and stomach pain.