Approval is expected to be granted in the United States for a new drug to treat HIV infections.
The drug Maraviroc which is produced by Pfizer targets the cells of HIV-infected patients and not the virus itself, and has been recommended by health advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Twelve advisers to the FDA unanimously voted their approval for Maraviroc, which Pfizer will to sell under the brand name Celsentri.
Celsentri represents the first so-called CCR5 receptor antagonist to be put on the market.
The drug which is produced as a pill to be taken twice a day is the first designed to keep the HIV virus from entering healthy immune cells; older AIDS medicines attack the virus itself.
The drug stops the virus entering and damaging the white blood cells, which are important in the immune system.
The FDA advisers have recommended that Pfizer does further studies into how Celsentri's interacts with other drugs as well as exploring its effects on women and minorities.
As a rule the FDA follows the advice of it's advisory panels.
The FDA and Pfizer cite studies which show that the addition of Celsentri to a traditional HIV treatment regimen is more effective in dropping the virus below detectable levels.
There are some concerns about this class of drugs such as there is the possibility of greater risk of infection, lymphoma or liver damage in HIV patients.
The drugs also have been linked to heart rhythm changes in animals.