NanoViricides
announced that preliminary animal trials of
HivCide-I™, the Company’s proposed HIV therapeutic,
will begin soon at a BSL-3 facility in Boston, MA. The initial results
are expected by the second week of May. These animal studies will be
conducted by Dr. Krishna Menon, PhD, VMD, MRCS, a world-renowned
authority in preclinical and toxicological studies of novel
therapeutics.
“The need for more therapeutic alternatives to
combat HIV is greater than ever, especially after the complete failure
of two highly-publicized HIV vaccine trials, the first conducted by
VaxGen and the second by Merck.” said Eugene Seymour, MD,
MPH, CEO of NanoViricides.
Rethinking Is Urged on a Vaccine for AIDS, experts said at a
scientific meeting on Tuesday, reported the New York Times. The AIDS
Health Care Foundation called for the suspension of money for H.I.V.
vaccine research and reallocating resources into effective H.I.V./AIDS
prevention, testing and treatment strategies. But Dr. Fauci, the top
federal official responsible for AIDS research, strongly rejected the
proposal. “Under no circumstances will we stop AIDS vaccine
research,” Dr. Fauci said at the conclusion of the meeting,
the report further said.
“Control of viremia is the most important factor in
keeping HIV infection from developing into symptomatic AIDS,”
said Dr. Howard Fields, VP of Virology at the Company, adding
“nanoviricides drugs are designed precisely for controlling
viremia by eliminating the circulating virus.”
“This is a proof of principle study and will be
expanded further with a larger follow-up study to be performed at a
major government research institution later in the year,”
added Dr. Anil R. Diwan, President of the Company.
Posted 31st March 2008
