Thinking big in HIV
PA-457 from Panacos Pharmaceuticals Inc. would be the first drug in its class, as it binds to an immature form of the HIV capsid protein and blocks the production of infectious particles. Given its mechanism and the positive Phase IIa data the company announced last week, Panacos plans to swing for the fences with its approval strategy: the company expects to run trials in both treatment-experienced and treatment-naïve patients in parallel.
In the Phase IIa trial in 33 patients not receiving other HIV drugs, 200 mg of PA-457 dosed orally once-daily gave a median 1.03 log (90%) reduction in viral load after 11 days. Placebo patients showed an increase in viral load of 0.03 log, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant. ...