Another fine piece by Marilyn Chase (with Jacob Goldstein) in the WSJ on new HIV drugs...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117263482927121688-search.html?KEYWORDS=marilyn+chase&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month
The WSJ article (and other media reports) describe the performance of new HIV drugs as "a really remarkable development". Left unsaid is that all these drugs are highly targeted with respect to the mutations of the HIV virus they either attack or block. In particular, Pfizer Inc.'s maraviroc will be launched in combination with a diagnostic called Trofile made by Monogram Biosciences. According to Monogram, the " Trofile co-receptor tropism assay identifies whether individual strains of HIV use the CCR5 co-receptor, the CXCR4 co-receptor or both co- receptors to infect healthy cells. This helps clinicians determine whether a CCR5 antagonist like maraviroc may be a good therapeutic option for treating individual patients." Doctors and patieents used the assay throughout the clinical development of maraviroc a patient's likelihood for response and avoid side effects. If approved the combination will help determine if someone will benefit from the drug. (It will be hard for the UK or Canada to deny paying for this drug on any other grounds than to say we don't want to spend the money on saving lives..)
But the FDA will get little additional money to support expanding this approach to development relative to what the fear mongers want to spend on post market clinical trials.....
The WSJ article (and other media reports) describe the performance of new HIV drugs as "a really remarkable development". Left unsaid is that all these drugs are highly targeted with respect to the mutations of the HIV virus they either attack or block. In particular, Pfizer Inc.'s maraviroc will be launched in combination with a diagnostic called Trofile made by Monogram Biosciences. According to Monogram, the " Trofile co-receptor tropism assay identifies whether individual strains of HIV use the CCR5 co-receptor, the CXCR4 co-receptor or both co- receptors to infect healthy cells. This helps clinicians determine whether a CCR5 antagonist like maraviroc may be a good therapeutic option for treating individual patients." Doctors and patieents used the assay throughout the clinical development of maraviroc a patient's likelihood for response and avoid side effects. If approved the combination will help determine if someone will benefit from the drug. (It will be hard for the UK or Canada to deny paying for this drug on any other grounds than to say we don't want to spend the money on saving lives..)
But the FDA will get little additional money to support expanding this approach to development relative to what the fear mongers want to spend on post market clinical trials.....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117263482927121688-search.html?KEYWORDS=marilyn+chase&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month
The WSJ article (and other media reports) describe the performance of new HIV drugs as "a really remarkable development". Left unsaid is that all these drugs are highly targeted with respect to the mutations of the HIV virus they either attack or block. In particular, Pfizer Inc.'s maraviroc will be launched in combination with a diagnostic called Trofile made by Monogram Biosciences. According to Monogram, the " Trofile co-receptor tropism assay identifies whether individual strains of HIV use the CCR5 co-receptor, the CXCR4 co-receptor or both co- receptors to infect healthy cells. This helps clinicians determine whether a CCR5 antagonist like maraviroc may be a good therapeutic option for treating individual patients." Doctors and patieents used the assay throughout the clinical development of maraviroc a patient's likelihood for response and avoid side effects. If approved the combination will help determine if someone will benefit from the drug. (It will be hard for the UK or Canada to deny paying for this drug on any other grounds than to say we don't want to spend the money on saving lives..)
But the FDA will get little additional money to support expanding this approach to development relative to what the fear mongers want to spend on post market clinical trials.....
The WSJ article (and other media reports) describe the performance of new HIV drugs as "a really remarkable development". Left unsaid is that all these drugs are highly targeted with respect to the mutations of the HIV virus they either attack or block. In particular, Pfizer Inc.'s maraviroc will be launched in combination with a diagnostic called Trofile made by Monogram Biosciences. According to Monogram, the " Trofile co-receptor tropism assay identifies whether individual strains of HIV use the CCR5 co-receptor, the CXCR4 co-receptor or both co- receptors to infect healthy cells. This helps clinicians determine whether a CCR5 antagonist like maraviroc may be a good therapeutic option for treating individual patients." Doctors and patieents used the assay throughout the clinical development of maraviroc a patient's likelihood for response and avoid side effects. If approved the combination will help determine if someone will benefit from the drug. (It will be hard for the UK or Canada to deny paying for this drug on any other grounds than to say we don't want to spend the money on saving lives..)
But the FDA will get little additional money to support expanding this approach to development relative to what the fear mongers want to spend on post market clinical trials.....
