China's drug watchdog has approved the import of a new drug that is used in combination with other medicines to treat patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Lopinavir/ritonavir, developed by US-based Abbott Laboratories, has been on the market in the United States, Japan and Europe, sources with China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) said Friday.

SFDA has a special licensing process for new drugs that show significant clinical effects in treating diseases such as AIDS and cancer.

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2007)