Atlantic's 2-5A "May Be Better" Than Virazole

A series of drugs based on antisense technology may be much moreeffective than ICN Pharmaceutical's Virazole (ribavirin), the only other approved treatment for respiratory syncytial virus, researchers from Atlantic Pharmaceuticals told those attending the 10th International Conference of Antivirals.

The study compared Atlantic's 2-5A-stabilized antisense molecules to Virazole, used to treat high-risk infants with RSV, and found that they were up to 130 times more potent in eradicating RSV in infected tissue culture. The molecules also scored at least 20 times better than Virazole on a standard safety index.

A previous study demonstrated that 2-5A-stabilized antisense drugs achieved up to 95% eradication rates of RSV in infected tissue culture (Marketletter March 17).