HIVresistanceWeb's "HIV Drug and Mutation Reference Guide" Now Available for Palm Handheld Devices: New PDA Application Provides A Portable Source Of Information Concerning The Relationships Between Key And Common Genotypic Mutations And Resistance To Approved ARV Drugs

Business Wire - July 24, 2002

NEW YORK--(BW HealthWire)--July 24, 2002-- Vertibrae today announced that its online medical community HIVresistanceWeb (http://wwwHIVresistanceWeb.com) has published the "HIV Drug & Mutation Reference Guide," which is now available for free download from the website onto Palm handheld devices and other PDAs utilizing the Palm operating system.

The "HIV Drug & Mutation Reference Guide" PDA application represents the handheld digital version of HIVresistanceWeb's Drug & Mutation Data Web pages, which provide at-a-glance and in-depth drug- and mutation-specific information, and provide extensive references and links to research databases; specifically, the Stanford HIV RT and Protease Sequence Database, which is directed by HIVresistanceWeb Editorial Board member Robert W. Shafer, M.D. Designations and explanations of specific drug/mutation relationships are determined by consensus of the HIVresistanceWeb Editorial Board and are based on review of the literature.

Version 2 of HIVresistanceWeb's "HIV Drug & Mutation Reference Guide" Palm OS software - and also a first-issue PocketPC version - will incorporate new findings presented at the XI International HIV Drug Resistance Workshop in Seville and at the XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona. Updated HIVresistanceWeb PDA software will be available for free download in September 2002.

"We are very pleased to offer this valuable content in multiple platforms," added Brian Conway, M.D., co-chair of the HIVresistanceWeb Editorial Board. "With over 1,000 downloads in the first 30 days, it is clear that HIV clinicians appreciate the ability to have essential HIV drug resistance information on hand when making treatment decisions based on viral load results, treatment history and/or genotypic resistance test results and interpretations."

A printed reference guide, entitled "HIV Drug Resistance Information At a Glance" is also published by Vertibrae for HIVresistanceWeb. Approximately 40,000 copies of the reference guide will be distributed prior to and during the 42nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) is San Diego this September.

"The PDA software provides clinicians with a robust yet portable source of HIV drug resistance information," said Craig Sterritt, HIVresistanceWeb's Managing Editor." "In terms of richness and depth of information, the handheld software offers a nice mid-point between our online Drug & Mutation Data pages, which are quite comprehensive, and our printed reference guide, which necessarily provides only cursory information on drug resistance mutations."

HIVresistanceWeb is an independent, educational resource dedicated to the advancement of anti-HIV therapy through information sharing and expert discussion of current issues in antiretroviral drug resistance and clinical HIV virology. Created and directed by an expert Board of HIV research clinicians, HIVresistanceWeb is designed to provide a focused, accessible source of new information, practical knowledge and opinion on the rapidly evolving issues that surround antiretroviral drug resistance.

HIVresistanceWeb is made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline. A leader in HIV/AIDS treatments, GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

Vertibrae (http://www.vertibrae.com), a division of Mediaworks, Inc. (http://www.Mwnyc.com), is a growing network of online medical education communities that includes RheumatologyWeb, HIVresistanceWeb, AnesthesiaWeb, RadiologyWeb, and the upcoming GastroenterologyWeb, InfectiousDiseaseWeb and PainManagementWeb. In affiliation with its academic partners and over 45 expert physicians and researchers, Vertibrae provides original content and interactive resources for medical professionals.

CONTACT: Press: Neil Alumkal, 212/989-3646 Nalumkal@vertibrae.com

SOURCE: Vertibrae

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