Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 03:57:52 pm

Login with username, password and session length


Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772946
  • Total Topics: 66310
  • Online Today: 424
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 0
Guests: 368
Total: 368

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Author Topic: HIV Trial Validates Novel Drug Mechanism  (Read 2846 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Tadeys

  • Member
  • Posts: 162
HIV Trial Validates Novel Drug Mechanism
« on: March 20, 2013, 12:15:59 am »
Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) has announced preliminary results from a human trial of its lead antiviral drug BIT225 to treat HIV infection 'hidden' in reservoir precursor cells.

The Phase 1b/2a trial has demonstrated that Biotron's BIT225 targets HIV replication in monocyte cells in treated patients. These cells become infected with HIV and are the seeds of hidden HIV pools in patients, setting up long-lived macrophage reservoir cell populations in various sites in the body. The trial has demonstrated that BIT225 is capable of significantly reducing virus levels in these cells.

Biotron's Managing Director, Dr Michelle Miller said the data were 'very encouraging' and could pave the way for a new generation of HIV treatment.

"We are thrilled with these results, which validate Biotron’s novel approach to tackling HIV. For the first time we have a potential treatment which may halt the ongoing cycle of infection and reinfection with virus from these long-lived cells. This is a significant development for our Company and has the potential to impact HIV research globally, particularly in terms of treatment in an important HIV reservoir. The results suggest that BIT225 is a candidate agent that could be useful in future eradication strategies."

Targeting virus reservoirs is regarded as the 'holy grail' of current HIV research. Monocytes are blood cells that become infected with HIV, then move out of blood vessels into different organs such as the liver, lungs, gut and brain, where they mature into macrophages. HIV replicates at low levels in these infected macrophages, acting as ongoing sources of virus in patients. Existing drugs are ineffective in treating HIV in these cells.

BIT225 is synergistic in vitro with commonly used anti-retroviral therapies and would potentially be used in conjunction with these treatments. Current approved anti-HIV drugs target HIV in T cells, and their use is aimed at keeping virus levels in the blood in check and ensuring T cell counts stay in a healthy range. However, these approved treatments do not target underlying viral reservoirs that exist in other cells in the body and which act as ongoing sources of HIV infection.

The BIT225 trial was conducted on 21 patients at an international clinical trial unit in Bangkok, Thailand. Patients enrolled in the study were HIV-infected, with high levels of virus and good CD4+ T cell counts. None had previously received treatment with anti-retroviral drugs. Patients received either BIT225 (400 mg; twice daily) or placebo for a period of 10 days.

Dr Miller added; "This result validates our earlier preclinical, cell culture-based data and the Company's ongoing HIV program."

Further analyses are ongoing, and completed safety data from the trial have yet to be reviewed. Full results from the trial are expected to be presented at a scientific conference later in 2013.

BIT225 is also in development for treatment of Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

In a recent Phase 2a trial, 100% of patients with Hepatitis C who received BIT225 (400 mg) in combination with interferon and ribavirin had undetectable HCV after 48 weeks. A Phase 2 trial of BIT225 in patients co-infected with both HIV and HCV is currently in progress.

http://pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=883709&categoryid=40


Offline geobee

  • Member
  • Posts: 376
Re: HIV Trial Validates Novel Drug Mechanism
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2013, 11:56:19 am »
I know it's easy to get over-excited by these things.... but this is exciting.  Here they've got a drug that can go after the reservoirs that's already been used in HCV so presumably they're pretty far along in their trials for safety, toxicity, etc. 

This trial was only 10 days long and they've got good data.  Sure would be interesting to see what happens if combined with therapy for the length of the HCV trial (48 weeks).

Here's a link about its effectiveness (100%) against HCV:
http://www.biospectrumasia.com/biospectrum/news/123257/biotron-completes-clinical-stage-hiv-trial#.UUnaHBygJ8E

Thanks for posting it, Tadeys.   Made my day!

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.