Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the wordpress-seo domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6260 Merck's HIV Drug Shows Promise | Contract Pharma

What are you searching for?

Sign in
Breaking News, Trials & Filings

Merck’s HIV Drug Shows Promise

Author Image

By: Tim Wright

Editor-in-Chief, Contract Pharma

Merck’s interim results from a dose-ranging Phase II trial of new integrase inhibitor MK-0518 showed that the oral drug — at all three doses studied (200 mg, 400 mg, and 600 mg orally twice daily) in combination with optimized background therapy (OBT) –had greater anti-retroviral activity than placebo with OBT. Study results also showed that MK-0518 in combination with OBT was generally well tolerated in these patients with advanced HIV infection who were failing anti-retroviral therapy (ART), who had viruses resistant to at least one drug of each of the three available classes of oral ARTs, and who had limited active ARTs as options for treatment.

Interim study results from a total of 167 enrolled patients showed that at week 16 the percent of patients achieving HIV RNA< 400 copies/mL ranged from 64% (18 out of 28 patients) to 84% (21 out of 25 patients) for MK-0518 plus OBT across all doses studied versus 22% (six out of 27 patients) for placebo plus OBT.

MK-0518 represents a new class of ART called integrase inhibitors that prevent the insertion of the HIV viral DNA into the human DNA genome. Inhibiting integrase from performing this essential function blocks the ability of the virus to replicate and infect new cells.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Get the latest Contract Pharma news, insights and analysis in your Google Search and AI experiences.

Add Contract Pharma as a preferred source on Google (opens in a new tab)

Keep Up With Our Content. Subscribe To Contract Pharma Newsletters