Vertex, Kissei AIDS Drug Launch In 1997?

A protease inhibitor for the treatment of HIV infection, under development by Vertex Pharmaceuticals of the USA, Kissei Pharmaceuticals of Japan and Wellcome of the UK, could be on the US market in two to three years, with a Japanese launch following six months thereafter, according to Kissei president Mutsuo Kanzawa.

Kissei and Vertex entered into an agreement for the codevelopment of the drugs, including a lead candidate called VX-478, in April last year, and Wellcome joined the effort last December. Wellcome has development, manufacture and marketing rights to the compounds in the USA, Europe and other countries outside the Far East, where Kissei has similar rights.

Vertex is also working in the fields of hemoglobin disorders, multidrug resistance reversal agents for cancer and inhibitors of interleukin-1 converting enzyme, with Chugai, for transplant rejection and autoimmune disease.