Who produces these drugs?

HIV drugs, referred to within the medical community as Anti-Retroviral Drugs (ARVs) are manufactured by corporations centered in both developed countries and developing countries. These corporations are behind the breaking discoveries in HIV treatment globally.

Pharmaceutical corporations in developed countries:

Bristol-Myers Squibb Virology:

Considered to be one of the global leaders in the HIV treatment field, BMS Virology has been committed to finding new ways to stem the virus' destruction. They have developed and have released Videx EC (didasone), a nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NARTI) that reduces the growth of HIV in the body. In addition, BMS Virology recently developed Sustiva, a similar NARTI that actively combats HIV-1.

GlaxoSmithKline

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GSK, in addition to producing a plethora of vaccines and medicines, develops and markets those designed specifically to battle HIV/AIDS. Their most successful drug, Combivir, is a Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor that limits the virus's ability to replicate within the body. This drug is the most experimented and tested drug available, and thus is a physician's first choice.

Merck

A giant among pharmaceuticals, Merck has established itself as a premier developer of the most advanced drugs. Because of this reputation, Merck is given the opportunity to employ a truly substantial number of researchers. And recently, these researchers have developed and successfully tested a drug code named L-870812 that blocks the HIV enzyme, Integrase, responsible for aiding the HIV genes bind with patients own DNA. Physicians such as Daria Hazuda write, "integrase inhibitors represent a new class of agents to treat HIV-1 infection."

Roche

Centered in New Jersey, this dominant pharmaceutical is a leading developer of HIV drugs, in addition to vast number of other drugs. Through looking at its recent history, one can see the merit of this institution. In 1995, Roche developed the world's first Protease inhibitor that contributed to more successful employment of anti-viral therapy. Then, in 1998, Roche developed Viracept, the newest generation Protease inhibitor that specifically targeted the liver destroying Hepatitis-C Virus. And now, they have created FUZEON, a fusion inhibitor, that succeeds through it's novelty and that it acts at a different mechanic site.

Abbott

Abbott Laboratory, located in Illinois, is an American pharmaceutical dedicated to the pursuit of the designing of drugs to stem the flow of HIV in patients. Its most successful drug, Kaletra, is a protease inhibitor that attacks the virus in its formation stage, before it can mature into an infectious virus capable of destroying CD4 T-Cells.

Gilead

Headquartered in California, Gilead, which has also branched to Australia and the United Kingdom is a cutting edge developer of HIV drugs. Their most recent development, Viread, is the first nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NtRTI) approved for the treatment of HIV. Viread works by impeding reverse transcriptase, an enzyme critical to the replication of the virus. As an NtRTI, Viread remains in cells for longer periods of time than a number of other antiretroviral agents, providing for once-daily dosing. In addition, Viread has a unique ability to substantially lessen the viral presence in HIV-1 infected adult patients who have already become resistant to other anti-retroviral drugs.

Boehringer-Ingelheim

Boehringer-Ingelheim, the acclaimed pharmaceutical based in Germany, is noted for its intensive work in the HIV field. Just July 15th, their HIV drug, Viramune, was tested in Bangkok and found to greatly reduce the risk of Mother to Child transmission of HIV-1. This drug is already having a great impact in the developing world, as B-I is supplying Viramune to the Viramune Donation Programme free of charge.

Pharmaceuticals in Developing Countries:

Far Manguinhos

Brazil's foremost drug laboratory, Far Manguinhos, is a government endeavor to stem the flow of ravaging diseases in Brazil. The most recent of these destroyers, HIV, has killed thousands of Brazilians in recent years, and has proved to be a national crisis. F-M produces generic drugs at a cost citizens can afford, in addition to pressuring giant international pharmaceuticals like Merck and Roche to sell their top line drugs for lesser cost.

Ranbaxy Laboratories

As India's largest pharmaceutical company, Ranbaxy Laboratories manufactures and markets noted generic pharmaceuticals. Through the fact that it offers it's products to over 100 primarily developing countries and it is still committed to providing only the most affordable of HIV drugs, Ranbaxy Laboratory is one of the most respected pharmaceuticals in the world.