Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Examiner - August 16, 2006
Carolyn Peirce, cpeirce@baltimoreexaminer.com
Panacos Pharmaceuticals Inc. - a Gaithersburg biotechnology company developing antiviral therapeutics - presented its HIV fusion inhibitor program at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto this week.
"The program goal is to develop drugs that work differently than current HIV drugs," said company President Graham Allaway.
The HIV treatments available now are enzyme inhibitors, Allaway said, but his company is working on an oral medicine that prevents the virus from binding to a cell.
"We've made progress on targeting one of the first steps in the HIV life cycle," Allaway said. "When the virus interacts with the cell and fuses the viral membrane and the cell membrane, the HIV virus can then reproduce and spread. But by blocking that fusion, you can stop the infection dead in its tracks."
Fuzeon is the only current inhibitor approved, but it has to be injected and is expensive to administer, he said.
Panacos identified small-molecule chemical compounds that work as inhibitors and can easily be taken orally.
The company is working to improve the medicinal effects of these small molecules and said it hopes to begin testing the drug on humans in the next year.
060816
SE060805
Copyright © 2006 - San Francisco Examiner. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the San Francisco Examiner, Permissions Desk, 110 Fifth Street, P.O. Box 7260, San Franciso, CA 94120.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from the Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2006. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .