(Washington) A new drug to treat HIV won federal approval Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration said it approved Prezista for the treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus. The drug is the first approved HIV medication for its maker, Johnson & Johnson. It's also the first new HIV drug approved since June 22, 2005.

The drug, also known as darunavir, is a member of the protease inhibitor class of drugs. They work by blocking protease, a protein the virus needs to make more copies of itself. Since 1995, FDA has approved 10 other protease inhibitors.

The major side effects of this class of drugs are high cholesterol and blood-sugar levels, as well as lipodystrophy, or the redistribution of body fat. Protease inhibitors typically are taken as part of a cocktail of drugs.

Prezista is meant for use in patients who don't respond to treatment with other antiretroviral drugs, the FDA said.

The risks and benefits of Prezista for adults who haven't previously been treated for HIV and children are unclear, the FDA said.

The FDA approved Prezista to be taken with a low-dose of Norvir, a protease inhibitor made by Abbott Laboratories, in combination with other HIV drugs, the FDA said. Norvir, also called ritonavir, slows the metabolism of Prezista, boosting its effect.

In return for the FDA's accelerated approval of the drug, J&J must conduct follow-up trials to determine the drug's benefits, as well as to study its use in children.

Prezista _ taken as two pills, twice daily _ will cost $25 US a day, according to J&J unit Tibotec Therapeutics.

©365Gay.com 2006

 Thanks for the comments from my last Mimi entry, Atmtcprincess. It's much appreciated. I read the entry that you got your MC tickets in the mail. Well, so did I.

Despite the bad things that happen in the few days, I've been able to be excited about going to see Mariah in Phoenix on October 10th. I got excited when I got the email saying that my tickets had been printed. How ridiculous is that?

I am also trying to get back into the routine of updating ClubMimi.net. I kind of have been busy.

Anyway, back to the tour. I got my tickets and I nearly freaked out, like the concert was tomorrow. I was actually worried at first because there has been problems with some like internet orders processing my order with the apartment number and the street address getting all mixed up. So with that happening some of the stuff that's supposed to be coming to my house doesn't get here in time, if at all.

But no worries.. they are here. I am so stoked even though I got them presale, I hear that there is better seats than the one's that I have... and I am like oh no! Yeah but hopefully everything will be fun and nice... of course, it's Mariah.

I am trying to get other friends to go with me. But I really haven't heard any word from any of them. It's kind of sad, but oh well. I'll just have to take myself. Like I am learning I have to learn to take care of me.. and only me.

I can't believe all the things that I worked for
All the things that I felt, the things that gave me excite
They just disappeared today. They are gone.

I fall to my knees and ask why this happens to me.
Why must I let go. Why must you go.

Cos all of a sudden it's gone.

I've been crying a lot these days.
I cry a lot in my room, when I am alone
When not anyone is around
When I feel that the empty space in my heart just seems to get deeper

Hush. It's not what you say
It's what you do that hurts me the most.

I've been crying a lot these days
Because I don't understand what's going on
I want to stay here
In your arms, forever
Forever until the end of time
Never letting go

Slice. My wrist start to bleed
Because it's my life I'd prefer to get destroyed than to have you burn yours up

I cry a lot in my room, when I am alone
Because I don't want you to be too concerned about me
It just seems like you don't really care like you used to anymore
Like I am just talking off into nowhere, my voice fades into the distants
I speak loud, I speak low and still you don't hear me
I am trying to hold on, I am trying to be strong.. I am trying to live for me and you
I am trying to be the better person and I suppose be strong for both us
Indeed it is killing me, KILLLING me deep inside, eating away at me

Faint. Drop.
I fall to ground and call for mercy. I call for forgiveness.

 Yeah some people seem to be happy that I am writing again but they don't leave comments. It's incredible.. hehe, just kidding. I haven't heard from any of the people that I used to know anymore. It makes me sad for the most part. I am sorry that I had a down period and that I felt that I had to ignore the world. I am just having trouble and that involves trusting people and I just didn't know how to handle it.

I. Work

I am still having the same trouble at work. I am feel like I am being overworked and underpaid. I am tired of being the cashier bitch. I thought that when I got 'supervisor' attached to my title that it would lead to just uh.. wait .. .wait.. supervising. Yeah. Uh yeah, wrong. There's just too much to worry about and so many things going on. I have to finish like a million tasks everyday before I leave. I am supposed to clean the lab everyday before I leave but it's so hard to do. I can't really even finish the necessary things to make sure the lab moves along smoothly. It's freaking ridiculous. I am in search of a new job that pays about the same amount and lives up to its name. I don't think it matters if it's stressful. I think it matters more that I enjoy it more than not.

II. Living

I finally got a roommate. It's my former neighbor that lived across the hall way. I can't believe that my old roommate screwed me over and didn't pay me at all. He decides on the day that he's leaving that he's going to try to pay me and that I should have the person that's moving in pay me the deposit. If he would have told me from the beginning that he was going to do that I would have prepared a lot better than I did. I feel like people just find it easy to walk all over me. I am just going to become a mean ass and people aren't going to like very much but I think it's something that needs to be enforced because people are such assholes.

III. Relationships

Parents/Family- I talk to my mom on most days. I haven't really heard from anyone else. No else calls. I talk to my sister sometime via AIM and that's about it. Nothing else really. I just heard over the weekend that my aunt (my dad's sister) was rushed to the hospital recently. They told her that my dad was coming and they didn't even bother to call anyone in the family. So as far as I know she is doing okay and back home.

Friends- I haven't heard from many of them. I hear from people here and there. I have established some kind of steady communication for some of them. I just don't like to feel like I am the only one calling and doing all the talking and stuff.. you know what I mean? In some cases, what it feel like I am doing. I understand that we all get busy and that we all have lives of our own, but don't get upset when you haven't heard from me. I can be busy too and I try to talk to everyone and send messages to people. Plus, I am still having trust issues with some of you so I don't know.

Boyfriend- Shane and I are soon approaching our seventh month anniversary... if that's what you want to call it. It's definitely something special to me. He, himself, is definitely something special to me. It just really frustrates me that he smokes. I don't want him to smoke. I don't think he really understands that I am really like overboard concerned and that when he smokes it makes me upset. I wish that he didn't. I am glad that he has fulfilled the request of not smoking around me.. it wasn't bothering me that he was smoking one or two a day but then it's developed into five or six, maybe now even more. I am afraid that it's going to become a habit. I am afraid of letting go because I don't know how strong that I am to hold on. I don't know really know what to do and it saddens me that I am not motivation enough for him to stop. There are sometimes when we are talking, also that it's not too sure in his mind that he wants to keep me around. Like when he mentions future events it sounds like I won't be there. Yeah, that bothers me and I can't picture myself without him now... I just don't know if I can let go that easily.. that's why I changed my mind that I was not going to break up with him if he kept smoking. I just want him to talk to someone .. if not me, someone about what's going on inside and not taking out on a cigarette. It's just something that's really bothering me. I've been just trying to let it go, but I am too worried and too concerned and all these things are all inside of me GRRRAAHHAH!