FDA Probes Safety of Pfizer Inc. (Jobs) HIV Drug; Safety Will Play Major Part in Decision to Approve Maraviroc
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government regulators will raise safety concerns at a meeting next week to review a Pfizer HIV drug that, if approved, would be the first in a new class of drugs to treat the virus that causes AIDS. The Food and Drug Administration will ask a panel of outside experts whether risks of cancer and infection are serious enough to limit Pfizer's ability to market Maraviroc, a twice-a-day pill designed to fight HIV. The panel is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether the drug should be approved. Though FDA is not required to follow the experts' recommendation, it often does.