New drugs help battle HIV
From Seattle, at the 9th Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections
Three potential drugs in development rely on novel tactics for attacking HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
A compound dubbed BMS-806 blocks the entry of HIV into cells, reports Richard J. Colonno of Bristol-Myers Squibb in Wallingford, Conn. In test tubes, the compound inhibits the replication of HIV, including strains already resistant to other drugs.
BMS-806 binds to an HIV protein that’s part of the virus’ envelope and is responsible for recognizing a molecular marker on many immune cells. Once HIV latches on, the virus then binds to a second set of molecules before gaining entry to the cell.