Boehringer Ingelheim HIV treatment is “superior”

Aptivus (tipranavir), the treatment for patients infected with the HIV-1 virus, has been described as providing a “convincing and durable” benefit.

The claim comes after the publication of data from the RESIST-1 and RESIST-2 studies, which compared Aptivus, a Boehringer Ingelheim product, with a number of ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors, including lopinavir (Kaletra), amprenavir (Agenerase), saquinavir (Invirase) and indinavir (Crixivan), in treatment-experienced HIV patients.

Scientists found that those receiving Aptivus were more than twice as likely to respond to treatment as those receiving other drugs, while 30.4 per cent of Aptivus patients were able to reduce their HIV viral load to undetectable levels, compared to 13.8 per cent of patients in the other group.

Additionally, the number of CD4+ immune cells was found to have doubled in Aptivus cases.

Charles Hicks, associate professor of medicine, infectious diseases and international health at the Duke University Medical Centre in North Carolina, remarked: “The 48-week results from the tipranavir RESIST studies are encouraging for patients with virus that is resistant to multiple protease inhibitors.”

“These data demonstrate that this patient population clearly benefits from the use of antiretroviral agents that remain active against resistant viruses. When used appropriately, tipranavir can be central to achieving durable HIV suppression and immunologic improvement,” he added.

Last month, Boehringer Ingelheim received a positive opinion for Aptivus from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, which is normally followed by full approval for a drug by the European Commission.

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