Progenics reports positive Ph II data on viral entry blocker

The USA's Progenics Pharmaceuticals has reported positive interim results from two separate Phase II trials of PRO 140 for the treatment of HIV infection. Both intravenous and subcutaneous forms of the novel viral-entry inhibitor, exhibited potent and prolonged activity as measured by reductions in plasma levels of virus in individuals with HIV infection, according to data presented at the 48th annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Washington DC, USA.

In this study, a 2.17 log10 mean maximum reduction in viral load was observed in patients treated intravenously with a single 10mg/kg dose, and the antiviral response persisted for three weeks post-treatment.

The company separately announced positive interim results (based on the first 20 of 44 patients treated) from the first clinical trial of subcutaneous PRO 140. The mean maximum viral load reduction was 1.77 log10 for patients treated subcutaneously with three weekly doses of 324mg of PRO 140 given over three weeks, and the antiviral response persisted for two weeks after the last dose. Both intravenous and subcutaneous forms of the humanized antibody drug were generally well tolerated in these studies.