It functions differently and at a different time in the life cycle of the virus, experts said. But, she said, it would be premature to say if these signs meant better health or a longer life. The drug's advocates believe that protease inhibitors remain effective for a longer time than older AIDS drugs, many of which become feeble after two years. AIDS advocacy groups, which are urging the FDA to quickly approve the drug, hope that Saquinavir can prolong a patient's life or delay the onset of AIDS for those who are HIV positive. Still under the present guidelines, the new drug will be approved for use only in combination with standard AIDS therapies.
Experts feel that it works better and for an extended period that way.
But Martin Delaney of San Francisco's Project Inform worried that the promise of a new drug could be clouded by an unreasonably high cost. I get the feeling that they are sort of warming up for a big hit when it comes to cost. External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.