Triangle Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Durham, N.C., presented initial results of a Phase I/II monotherapy study of DAPD at the 7th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco. Results of the 14-day study indicated viral suppression and that the novel dioxolane purine nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor was well tolerated at all doses tested 25 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg and 300 mg.
Triangle, along with Duke University Medical Center, also reported that patients who take fewer pills tend to do better than patients who have more complex medication regimens. The research is based on an analysis of more than 3,000 patients involved in triple-drug combination trials to treat HIV infection.
In other news from the conference:
Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., said its advanced-generation protease inhibitor, ABT-378/ritonavir, may provide viral suppression in HIV-positive patients who previously failed antiretroviral therapy with other protease inhibitors. Data indicate viral load decreased in patients with ABT-378/ritonavir despite the presence of significant baseline viral resistance in lab testing.
Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc., of La Jolla, Calif., said a study of the HIV protease inhibitor Viracept in combination therapy in pregnant women showed there was a decrease in maternal levels of plasma HIV RNA during the course of treatment. Agouron also said that HIV-infected patients who failed exclusive treatment with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, who switched to a triple-class regimen containing Viracept, reported significantly greater and more durable reductions in plasma HIV RNA at 48 weeks compared to those receiving a binary regimen.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Ridgefield, Conn., and Roxane Laboratories, of Columbus, Ohio, both subsidiaries of Boehringer Ingelheim Corp., said Viramune added to a combination of AZT and 3TC suppressed HIV in the blood for up to one year and longer in patients with advanced HIV disease and high baseline viral loads.
Progenics Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., reported its HIV product, PRO 542, demonstrated reductions in HIV levels in children who continued to have high levels of the virus, despite the use of approved antiretroviral therapies.
United Biomedical Inc., of Hauppauge, N.Y., said it developed a synthetic peptide vaccine, p2249f, which evokes potent antibodies effective against a range of HIV primary isolates.
Vircolab Inc., of Baltimore, said a study demonstrated phenotypic testing significantly improves virologic response for patients on anti-HIV therapy, indicating the testing could guide physicians in selecting the best regimens.