CHICAGO — A new study has found that a recently approved drug for HIV produces fewer unpleasant side effects during the first three months of therapy than the standard treatment, according to published reports.

MedPage Today reported that a study presented at the Interscience Conference on Anti-Microbial Agents and Chemotherapy found that Johnson & Johnson's Edurant (rilpivirine) was easier to take than Bristol-Myers Squibb's Sustiva (efavirenz).

The study found that use of Edurant resulted in fewer of the neurological side effects that patients experience when taking Sustiva, such as dizziness and abnormal dreams or nightmares, as well as rashes. The study was an analysis of data from the "ECHO" and "THRIVE" clinical trials, which enrolled a total of 1,368 patients.

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