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CytoDyn's injectable treatment does well in Aids trial

Last updated: 23:28 18 Apr 2016 AEST, First published: 18:28 18 Apr 2016 AEST

Syringe
Once a week only under CytoDyn's PRO 140

An injectable AIDs treatment pioneered by CytoDyn Inc (OTC.QB:CYDY) suppressed the virus in 10 patients for 18 months and for 20 in several of these, the company revealed today.

CytoDyn now believes that complete HIV virologic suppression is possible through a once-weekly injection of its PRO 140 treatment, rather than the daily dosing of multiple pills under standard HAART treatment.

PRO 140 was tested as a single therapy treatment for patients with the R5 subtype of HIV. 

Patients are now being enroled for a  pivotal Phase 3 trial for PRO 140 as a combination therapy with HAART while a phase III trial for PRO 140 as a long-term monotherapy also starts enrolment soon.

“With currently approved drug therapy, HIV need no longer be the deadly disease it once was,” said Nader Pourhassan, CytoDyn’s chief executive. 

“However, the drawbacks of HAART therapy, including considerable drug toxicity, patient compliance with programmed daily dosing and drug resistance, pose serious issues for this patient population,”.

 “PRO 140 has demonstrated in multiple clinical trials a reduction in HIV viral loads and the maintenance of HIV viral load suppression with hardly any side effects.” 

“We see a significant opportunity with PRO 140 as a HIV monotherapy and in combination with HAART, and we believe that PRO 140 could lead to a new treatment paradigm for many patients living with HIV.”

PRO 140 belongs to a new class of HIV/AIDS therapeutics—viral-entry inhibitors—that are intended to protect healthy cells from viral infection, said Cytodyn.

The drug has been the subject of seven clinical trials, each demonstrating efficacy by significantly reducing or controlling HIV viral load in human test subjects. 

It has been assigned as a “fast track” product candidate by the US Food and Drug Administration.

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