AMPLIGEN KNOCKS OUT RESISTANT HIV

Hem Pharmacueticals has announced that its double-stranded ribonucleic acid compound, Ampligen (poly I: Poly C12U), has shown activity against strains of the AIDS virus which are resistant to zidovudine (Wellcome's Retrovir). Data on this was presented at the 33rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in New Orleans, USA.

One study is described which shows that individuals with at least six months of prior zidovudine treatment, who were treated with Ampligen prior to developing advanced stage symptoms of HIV infection, maintained higher levels of CD4 cells, with increased immune function, than those who did not receive the therapy. Ampligen is also in Phase III testing for myalgic encephalitis. The company has also said that it is developing an oral version, called Oragen, which is based on the same technology and has shown encouraging results in animal testing.