The FDA approved a new 800mg tablet of Prezista (darunavir) on November 9, 2012. This new formulation will allow people to take one pill daily instead of two 400mg pills of the drug daily, which is the current standard of care.
People new to treatment as well as those who are treatment experienced can take Prezista provided there are no resistance mutations to darunavir present. As with the current 400mg pills, the new 800mg tablet should be taken with a booster dose of Norvir (ritonavir).
The company who makes Prezista, Janssen Therapeutics, has stated that the supply of 400mg tablets will no longer be shipped to wholesalers starting February 1. People should expect to see the new 800mg tablet available soon as the current supplies of 400mg pills are exhausted. There should not be a difference in cost for this new one-pill dose.
Pharmacies will receive educational materials from Janssen regarding the change and should pass that information onto all Prezista customers. Alan McCord, Director of Education for Project Inform, remarks, “It’s very important for individuals to know that this change is coming. The concern here is someone taking two 800mg tablets thinking they’re still 400mg. This could result in excessively high levels of drug blood levels which could then cause increased side effects.”