MSD reports ‘positive’ phase III results for Isentress

Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) has announced positive results from two ongoing clinical studies of Isentress (raltegravir), formerly known as MK-0518, at phase III.

The company presented its results at the Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, reporting that Isentress displayed greater antiretroviral activity than placebo when used in conjunction with optimised background therapy (OBT).

Isentress is an intergrase inhibitor, a new type of antiretroviral compound that prevents the insertion of HIV viral DNA into human DNA to inihibit the ability of the virus to multiply and infect further cells.

David Cooper, director of the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the University of New South Wales, said: “The efficacy results and tolerability profile that have been seen thus far with Isentress in combination with OBT in this patient population with multi-drug resistant virus are exciting.”

He added that HIV integrase inhibitors had the potential to be a promising new type of antiretroviral therapy.

Last September, MSD reported that administration of MK-0158 in conjunction with OBT in triple-class drug resistant patients resulted in a greater maintenance of antiretroviral suppression when compared with patients receiving a placebo with OBT at 24 weeks.