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Merck Halts Development Of New HIV Drug Vicriviroc – Merck announced July 14 that it would stop development of its new drug, vicriviroc, due to disappointing results from a Phase 2 trial in individuals who had not received antiretroviral treatment before. The drug had previously shown poor results in a Phase 3 trial in treatment-experienced individuals. Vicriviroc was designed to prevent HIV from binding to the CCR5 protein, which is located on the surface of CD4 (white blood) cells and is used by HIV to infect the cells. Vicriviroc would have been the second drug of this type; Pfizer’s drug Selzentry (maraviroc) is the first. For more information, please see the Aidsmap and Project Inform websites.

New Jersey Tightens Eligibility Requirements For AIDS Drug Distribution Program – As part of its budget cutbacks, New Jersey has tightened eligibility requirements for its AIDS Drug Distribution Program (ADDP). ADDP provides antiretroviral medications for low-income, uninsured individuals with HIV. Previously, New Jersey’s ADDP covered individuals with incomes up to 500 percent of the federal poverty level, or $54,150 per year. As of August 1, the program will only cover individuals with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or $32,490 per year. For more information, please see the NorthJersey.com website or the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services website.

North Carolina Announces Limited Reopening Of Its AIDS Drug Assistance Program – The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced July 11 that $14 million will go toward reopening the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which had closed to new participants in January. With the new funds, the program will add 627 patients who have been on the waiting list. Current eligibility requirements restrict the program to individuals living at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty level, or $13,538 per year. Individuals with incomes between 125 and 300 percent of the federal poverty level will continue to be waitlisted. For more information, please see the WRAL.com website or the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services website.

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Scientists and researchers from around the globe met last week for the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), a four-day conference presenting the latest research about prevention, treatment, and insight into HIV/AIDS and its complications.

Topics ran the gamut from novel therapies to public health strategies aimed at the global pandemic.

What follows are a few of the developments from the conference.

The View From NIAID

On the first day of the conference, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), addressed…

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On January 20, 2010, Merck announced to investors that it would not pursue FDA approval of vicriviroc as an HIV therapy for treatment-experienced patients at this time – a decision prompted by unsatisfactory clinical trial results.

However, Robert Consalvo, the company’s Director of Global Product Communications & Advocacy Relations, indicated in email correspondence with the Beacon that Merck could revisit evaluating vicriviroc for treatment-experienced individuals at a later date.

Vicriviroc is a type of drug known as a CCR5 antagonist. This means that it acts by preventing the reaction between…