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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Vancouver WASHINGTON, December 10, 2015 -The NIH recently reported that pregnancy-related changes in the body can affect how the body processes the HIV medicines it takes. Because of these bodily changes, the prescribed dose of HIV medicine may also change during pregnancy.
“This means that the correct script to keep a pregnant woman’s HIV viral load in check, and her side effects under control, will no doubt be subject to change. These changes that the NIH is predicting could only breed confusion to those looking to get pregnant not knowing if the new scripts will work or not. The recommended dose of daily HIV meds is known to bring on nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, muscle pain, occasional dizziness. Pregnancy has similar side effects. They may double now that there are both non-effective HIV meds and pregnancy issues involved,” notes Nader Pourhassan, CEO, CytoDyn Inc. clinical developer of PRO 140.
“But, pregnant women could soon have an option——choose the often toxic pill regimen, the accepted method to fight HIV——or once FDA approved, PRO 140, the new proven self-injected antibody that offers a more comfortable experience with almost no side effects. One dose a week, or possibly (in future) one dose a month, of PRO 140 injected in each thigh treats the infection completely suppressing the viral load. When the morning sickness, and other annoyances of early pregnancy fade away, the HIV infected woman-with-child could return to a fairly normal life,” concludes Pourhassan.
CytoDyn’s Phase 2b FDA trial had a 98% success rate.
Now in Phase 3 FDA trial, CytoDyn hopes to have PRO 140 commercialized by 2017.
About CytoDyn
CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB:CYDY) is a biotechnology company focused on the clinical development and potential commercialization of humanized monoclonal antibodies for the treatment and prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. The Company has one of the leading monoclonal antibodies under development for HIV infection, PRO 140, which has finished Phase 2 clinical trials with demonstrated antiviral activity in man and is currently in Phase 3. PRO 140 blocks the HIV co-receptor CCR5 on T-cells which prevents viral entry. Clinical trial results thus far indicate that PRO 140 does not negatively affect the normal immune functions that are mediated by CCR5. Results from six Phase 1 and Phase 2 human clinical trials have shown that PRO 140 can significantly reduce viral burden in people infected with HIV. A recent Phase 2b clinical trial demonstrated that PRO 140 can prevent viral escape in patients during several weeks of interruption from conventional drug therapy. CytoDyn intends to continue to develop PRO 140 as a therapeutic anti-viral agent in persons infected with HIV. For more information on the Company, please visit www.cytodyn.com.
About PRO 140
PRO 140 belongs to a new class of HIV/AIDS therapeutics — viral-entry inhibitors — that are intended to protect healthy cells from viral infection. PRO 140 is a fully humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody directed against CCR5, a molecular portal that HIV uses to enter T-cells. PRO 140 blocks the predominant HIV (R5) subtype entry into T-cells by masking this required co-receptor, CCR5. Importantly PRO 140 does not appear to interfere with the normal function of CCR5 in mediating immune responses. PRO 140 does not have agonist activity towards CCR5 but does have antagonist activity to CCL5 which is a central mediator in inflammatory diseases. PRO 140 has been the subject of seven clinical trials, each demonstrating efficacy by significantly reducing or controlling HIV viral load in human test subjects. PRO 140 has been designated a “fast track” product candidate by the FDA. The PRO 140 antibody appears to be a powerful antiviral agent leading to potentially fewer side effects and less frequent dosing requirements as compared to daily drug therapies currently in use.
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