New shine for an old lamp

The Immune Response Corp.'s Remune HIV immunotherapeutic may be the oldest anti-HIV compound still in development. For years, while IMNR plugged away, it was widely viewed as the orphan of the HIV therapy world, a compound that had showed only modest efficacy in clinical trials and one that others would have dropped long ago.

But Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc., which last week announced a deal for Remune potentially worth $77 million, clearly believes it has found a diamond where others see a lump of coal. The key to AGPH's vision may be the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), where an immunotherapeutic may shine...