Next Up...The lowdown on what’s inside the pipeline
by Tim Horn
Brand Name:To be announced Generic Name: Tipranavir Company: Pharmacia & Upjohn For: HIV Class: Protease Inhibitor (PI) Status: Phase II trials under way Standard Treatment: Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) Notes: Designed with resistance in mind. A test-tube study found tipranavir to be 90 percent effective against HIV strains resistant to three or more PIs. Information about dosing and side effects to be determined. From the gut of PWA Stephen Gendin: “I’m skeptical of claims of unique-resistance profiles—they usually don’t pan out. Tipranavir’s long-term toxicities and dosing are the drug’s most promising aspects, though both are still unclear.”
Brand Name:Coactinon Generic Name: Emivirine Company: Triangle Pharmaceuticals For: HIV Class: NNRTI Status: Phase I/II trials under way Standard Treatment: HAART Notes: A non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) similar to nevirapine (Viramune), delavirdine (Rescriptor) and efavirenz (Sustiva). Twice-daily dosing is the plan, and information about side effects is pending. From the gut of PWA Stephen Gendin: “What’s so exciting about an NNRTI with an overlapping resistance profile? It’s only useful to the NNRTI-naive, and there’s no evidence that it’s better than the NNRTIs already available.”
Brand Name: To be announced Generic Name: T-20 (Pentafuside) Company: Trimeris For: HIV Class: Fusion Inhibitor Status: Phase II trials under way Standard Treatment: HAART Notes: This new class of anti-HIV drug prevents the virus from attaching to CD4 cells at one particular site. No major side effects reported, but dosing is a hassle: T-20 is not effective if taken orally, so twice-daily injections are needed. From the gut of PWA Stephen Gendin: Finally, a drug that operates in a unique way! This drug is important for people who’ve run through all other drug options. For those in need of new therapies, self-injection is the least of their problems.”
Brand Name: Pegasys Generic Name: Pegylated Interferon Company: Hoffman LaRoche For: Hepatitis C (HCV) Class: Interferon Status: Phase III trials under way; approvals pending Standard Treatment: Robertron (ribavirin and standard interferon) Notes: A new formulation of an old drug, pegylated interferon can be taken just once a week. In two clinical trials—neither enrolled HIVers—the drug was more effective than standard interferon in combating hepatitis C. From the gut of PWA Stephen Gendin: “More convenient and less toxic than the standard treatment, this drug will be very popular. But as with anti-HIV meds, it still needs to be teamed with other drugs to control hepatitis C.”
