info on when they will announce > * Development of new HIV drug...

info on when they will announce
> * Development of new HIV drug progressing well
> * Clinical trial results to be presented to international experts
> On International World AIDS Day, as the world reviews the devastating
> impact that HIV/AIDS has had on this planet over the past few decades,
> Australian biotechnology company Virax is making significant progress
> in the development of a new HIV treatment. Positive results from a
> recent clinical trial are gaining the attention of the international
> medical experts fighting this devastating disease.
>
> "Virax's product offers an innovative alternative to current HIV
> medicines. The new drug, known as VIR201, is an immune-based therapy,"
> said Virax CEO Dr David Beames. "We are trying to harnesses the power
> of the body's own immune system to fight HIV."
>
> Existing HIV drugs, called highly active anti-retroviral therapy
> (HAART), impact significantly on patients' quality of life due to
> serious side-effects and the need for strict adherence to what can be
> complicated drug timetables involving several medicines. The HIV virus
> is also becoming increasingly more resistant to this therapy. Medical
> scientists around the world agree that there is a demonstrable need
> for an alternative to HAART.
>
> Recent clinical trials on VIR201 have shown that this new drug can
> control the viral load of an HIV-infected patient. Controlling the
> level of virus in the patient's system is the critical factor in the
> treatment of this disease.
>
> Clinical Trial Details
> In 2001 a multi-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
> Phase I safety trial of VIR201 commenced, in accordance with the
> highest international standards for testing of new drugs. Co-ordinated
> by the Australian National Centre for HIV Epidemiology and Clinical
> Research (NCHECR), the trial involved 35 HIV positive men, currently
> taking HAART medications. The results of this first round of testing
> in people were good. VIR201 was found to be safe and did not produce
> any major side-effects.
>
> At the end of this trial patients were given the option of
> participating in an extension study which enabled them to stop taking
> their arduous anti-retroviral drugs, under the supervision of doctors.
> This study, which concluded recently, provided positive evidence that
> VIR201 could work. These results have gained international attention.
>
> International Review
> Data from the Phase I safety trial and extension study will be
> presented at the prestigious 11th Conference on Retroviruses and
> Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco on February 11, 2004.
>
>
> About HIV /AIDS (Source: www. worldaidsday.org managed by National
> AIDS Trust UK)
> * People newly infected with HIV in 2002: 5 million
> * AIDS deaths in 2002: 3 million (ie. Over 8,000 deaths per day)
> * Estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS at end 2002: 42
> million
> * Total number of AIDS deaths at the end of 2002: 28.1 million
> * Total number of AIDS orphans: 13.2 million
>
> About Virax
> Headquartered in Melbourne, Virax Holdings Ltd is a development-stage
> biotechnology company engaged in the development of some of the
> world's most promising treatments for diseases such as prostate
> cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and other infectious and autoimmune
> diseases.
>
> Virax's strategy is to fund early stage clinical development of
> Australian medical research and then partner with larger biotechnology
> or pharmaceutical companies for later stage development, regulatory,
> and marketing activities.
>
> Virax's technology focus is on biotechnology that underpins the
> development of immune-based therapies (immunotherapy) - therapies that
> use biological signals to direct the immune system to treat and defend
> against disease.
>
> In addition to development, Virax operates a GMP* manufacturing
> facility that has the capacity to construct and manufacture
> immune-based therapeutic products for clinical trials to the standard
> that meets international regulatory requirements. It is one of only a
> handful of companies in the world that has this unique capability.