The FDA is about to review a new and initially promising AIDS drug called reltegravir. The new drug is not a “protease inhibitor” like most AIDS drugs, it is the first “integrase inhibitor,” which attacks the virus through a different enzyme.

Reltegravir could be particularly effective as a second line drug, for people who have developed a resistance to the first line drugs. However, AIDS patients in developing countries typically have access only to the first line drugs, which are older and more affordable medications.

If approved, the drug will be expensive and won’t likely make it to developing countries with the largest AIDS prevalence for several years, barring market intervention. In the past, groups like the Clinton Global Initiative have negotiated a reduction in drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.

For more on the drug, listen to the story on NPR’s Morning Edition today.

-Porter McConnell