Fortovase

Fortovase (saquinavir) has been approved as a treatment for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Fortovase is a new formulation of Invirase, another protease inhibitor manufactured by Hoffman La Roche. It comes in a soft gelatin capsule that delivers more drug than Invirase, and it stays in the body at increased levels.

A controlled clinical study showed that at 16 weeks of treatment, twice as many patients who took Fortovase had undetectable virus levels in the blood compared to those who took Invirase.

The most common adverse effects are gastrointestinal, including diarrhea, nausea and abdominal discomfort.