--- description: The FDA has approved a new drug for the disease title: HIV Drug Descovy By Gilead Sciences Gets FDA Approval image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [medicine](/tag/medicine/) ## medicine Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # New HIV Drug Approved by FDA by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 7, 2016 2:53 PM CUT by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 7, 2016 2:53 PM CUT A new treatment for [HIV](http://time.com/4125210/hiv-rate-lowest-since-2000/ "undefined") has been approved by federal authorities. The drug Descovy, which is made by Gilead Sciences, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the company [announced this week](http://www.gilead.com/news/press-releases/2016/4/us-food-and-drug-administration-approves-descovy-emtricitabine-tenofovir-alafenamide-gileads-third-tafbased-hiv-therapy "undefined"). The combination drug is a daily pill that uses two already approved drugs for the disease. The drug can be given at a lower dose compared to other treatments, including the company’s other drug Viread, because it can enter drugs more efficiently. “As the first new HIV treatment backbone approved by the FDA in more than a decade, Descovy represents an important evolution in HIV care,” the company said in the statement. The drug has side effects like lactic acid buildup in the blood stream and aggravated prior hepatitis B infection. The drug is [estimated](http://fortune.com/2016/04/05/gilead-next-gen-hiv/ "undefined") to reach $1 billion in sales. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4285040/hiv-drug-descovy-gilead-sciences/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4285040/hiv-drug-descovy-gilead-sciences/"},"headline":"New HIV Drug Approved by FDA","datePublished":"2016-04-07T14:53:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T16:32:55.024Z","description":"The FDA has approved a new drug for the disease","url":"https://time.com/4285040/hiv-drug-descovy-gilead-sciences/","keywords":["medicine"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/medicine/","name":"medicine"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4285040/hiv-drug-descovy-gilead-sciences/","name":"New HIV Drug Approved by FDA"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Despite AIDS Research And Education, Some Myths Still Remain","description":"Researchers have shared more information about HIV/AIDs than ever before and yet, some people still believe old myths.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ShFuFJT0/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-12-01T17:11:23.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ShFuFJT0.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4285040/hiv-drug-descovy-gilead-sciences/","duration":"PT1M43S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4285040/hiv-drug-descovy-gilead-sciences/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```