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Two Drugs Could Hold Off AIDS

Posted on: Tuesday, 27 February 2007, 09:00 CST

By Steve Johnson

Some Gilead Science drugs commonly used to treat people infected with the AIDS virus also may help prevent infections in the first place if given in large doses, federal researchers said Monday.

That conclusion stems from a re-evaluation of data from a study made public last year that involved monkeys given the Foster City company's drugs and then exposed to a simian form of the AIDS virus.

The study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously reported that six monkeys were protected from getting the virus when given a high dose of Truvada, a combination of two Gilead drugs known as Viread and Emtriva.

By contrast, the CDC reported new data Monday showing that two of six other monkeys became infected after receiving Truvada with about a third less dose of Viread. And four of six additional monkeys were infected after receiving only Emtriva.

Among another group of 18 monkeys that received no drugs, 17 became infected.

CDC officials cautioned that the data is preliminary and that studies in monkeys don't always apply to people. But it might be a public health breakthrough if high doses of Viread and Emtriva are proven to be useful in protecting people from the AIDS virus, HIV.

"This is very encouraging," said Walid Heneine, who helped do the study.

More studies are under way to determine if Gilead's drugs can prevent people from getting HIV. But it could be years before that data is made public.

Contact Steve Johnson at sjohnson@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5043.

Source: San Jose Mercury News

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