Egrifta FDA Approved: Merck HIV Fat Drug – A recent injection was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States that helps treat fat deposits located around the liver, stomach, and other organs that can be found in the abdomen. The deposits are often caused by lipodystrophy, which is an effect of being HIV positive.
The drug is called Egrifta (tesamorelin) and battles against the condition that stores fat around the abdominal organs. Lipodystrophy is often believed to be caused by the drugs that are used to treat HIV, known as antiretroviral drugs.
Egrifta was tested on a group of 816 men and women that were all diagnosed with HIV. The participants in the study had also been diagnosed with lipodystrophy, and were actively trying to prevent the condition from getting any worse. According to the results of the study, those patients that took Egrifta found themselves with much less fat than those who were not on the medication. CT scan measured all the fatty deposits.
The drug does have some side effects, including joint pain, redness and rash at the site of the injection, stomach pain, and muscle pain. So far it is not known if Egrifta effects cardiovascular disease.