MSD reports ‘significant milestone’ in HIV/Aids therapy

Merck, Sharp and Dohme has described the development of its HIV treatment Isentress (raltegravir) as a significant landmark in the treatment of HIV and Aids.

The orally-administered compound – which achieved accelerated approval by the US Food and Drug Administration last week as a therapy for HIV-1 infection in treatment-experienced patients – is the first in a class of drugs known as integrase inhibitors.

A 24-week analysis of clinical trials of the drug in conjunction with optimised background therapy saw an increase in CD4 cell counts and reductions in HIV RNA viral loads.

Isentress functions by preventing the insertion of HIV DNA into DNA in the body through the inhibition of the integrase enzyme, which prevents the replication of the virus and its ability to infect new cells.

Joseph J Eron, professor of medicine at the division of infectious diseases of UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, said: “The development of Isentress is a significant milestone in the history of HIV/Aids therapy because we now have a drug that’s potent against another key enzyme essential for viral replication.”

He added that it is vital that doctors are advised to use the compound in conjunction with other active agents.

In March 2007, MSD announced positive phase III clinical results for Isentress, noting that integrase inhibitors have the potential to become a promising new form of antiretroviral treatment.