B-MS Licenses Novartis HIV Protease Inhibitors

Bristol-Myers Squibb has licensed two HIV protease inhibitors fromNovartis, in a bid to flesh out its portfolio of antiretrovirals. The company has acquired worldwide development and marketing rights to the compounds.

B-MS has two nucleoside analogs in its HIV portfolio, Videx (didanosine) and Zerit (stavudine), and would benefit from being able to offer a protease inhibitor as well, as the move towards combination, protease inhibitor-based drug therapy for HIV becomes established. Under the terms reached by the two companies, B-MS will start Phase II trials of BMS-234475 (formerly CGP-61755), a peptidomimetic inhibitor. The firm will also continue preclinical work on BMS-232623 (CGP-73547), a potent azapeptide inhibitor in the early stages of preclinical development.

B-MS is also working on expanding the utility of Videx and Zerit, which was recently cleared as a new option for treating pediatric HIV, and has early-stage programs ongoing in the area of HIV integrase inhibitors and chemokine receptors.