-VISIT OUR OTHER FORUMS- OB-GYN-L Ultrasound Ultrasound History Fibroid Forum Physicians-in-Training Tech Talk OBSTET-L (portuguese) OBGIN-L (spanish) Nursing

GEN: J&J to Give Away New AIDS Drug From: art fougner, md (evsono@pipeline.com) Mon Mar 29 08:57:23 2004 Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ] Next message: Gary: "Suggestions regarding psychological adjustment to pregnancy loss." Previous message: art fougner, md: "GYN: Patients switched from tamoxifen to exemestane more likely to stay cancer-free" Nonprofit Group to Receive Royalty-Free Deal For Access to Experimental Medicine By CHRISTOPHER WINDHAM Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL March 29, 2004; Page B6 In a move to get an experimental medicine to impoverished developing-world markets, Johnson & Johnson will give away a promising AIDS drug to a nonprofit organization. Today, the International Partnership for Microbicides plans to announce it has reached a royalty-free agreement with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a Belgian subsidiary of J&J, to develop the drug for use in poor countries. The announcement will be made at the Microbicides Conference 2004 in London. The drug, called TMC-120, is used as a preventative gel, also known as a microbicide, and interferes with HIV's ability to infect cells. TMC-120 is the first potential microbicide that specifically blocks the AIDS virus in much the same way as the potent oral anti-AIDS drugs that have revolutionized treatment of the disease. Trials are under way to test TMC-120 for safety in humans. IPM estimates it will cost $50 million to $100 million to fully develop the compound in the next five to 10 years. "It's not a commercial drug," said Mark Mitchnick, director of research and development for IPM. "We want to get this into places in the world where it's very unlikely that anybody would make any money." Tibotec discovered TMC-120 in late 1990s as part of an effort to develop medicines designed to treat drug-resistant strains of HIV, says Paul Stoffels, president of Tibotec. Tibotec originally estimated it would cost about $200 million to develop the TMC-120 drug. However, a profit margin was difficult to predict for a drug with poorer countries as its primary market. Ultimately, Tibotec decided to develop a related compound that can be absorbed in the body with greater efficiency. Without a partner to finish developing the compound, it meant TMC-120 would be shelved. However, a specific drug-development plan and support from philanthropic groups such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which issued a $60 million grant, made IPM an attractive candidate to develop the drug, Dr. Stoffels said. Vaginal gels are increasingly being seen as an important preventative weapon for women, many of whom are exposed to the virus by infected partners unwilling to use condoms. Though no anti-AIDS microbicide is on the market, about 60 experimental products are under development. However, a fraction of those products is likely to make it into clinical trials, researchers say. The London conference will highlight the latest in microbicide research, including new information about how the AIDS virus initially establishes the infection. "Having products in microbicides will be very important in reducing HIV for women," says Helene Gayle, director of HIV/TB and reproductive health for the Gates Foundation, which has donated about $113 million to not-for-profit organizations and academic institutions for microbicide research. J&J's decision reflects a growing interest by AIDS activists in finding new ways to get potentially expensive drugs to poorer nations. Moreover, it is good public relations, says Robin Stattock, reader in infectious diseases at St. George's Hospital Medical School in London. "This is a good PR venue to be doing something for developing countries," he says. Researchers plan to conduct larger clinical trials this year involving more human subjects. If successful, the first microbicide product for fighting HIV could be available by 2010, researchers say. Write to Christopher Windham at christopher.windham@wsj.com http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108051147081067280,00.html?mod=health%5Fhs%5Fpharmaceuticals%5Fbiotech art -- art fougner, md ich bin ein New Yorker Next message: Gary: "Suggestions regarding psychological adjustment to pregnancy loss." Previous message: art fougner, md: "GYN: Patients switched from tamoxifen to exemestane more likely to stay cancer-free"

Return to

Mail a New Message to the Forum: ob-gyn-l@obgyn.net Forum Administrator: geffrey.klein@obgyn.net Report Technical Problems: webmaster@obgyn.net Last Updated: Tue Dec 2 04:43:15 2008

The American Medical Association is no longer designating CME hours for AMA Category II CME credit. However, physicians themselves may self designate learning activities as Category II CME credit hours if they feel it is of sufficient educational merit and meets the formal definitions of continuing medical education. OBGYN.net believes these interaction in this forum meets these criteria. For further information see the AMA web site.