TANOX REPORTS RESULTS OF HIV DRUG TRIAL

Tanox has released the results of a Phase II clinical trial that showed its experimental entry inhibitor TNX-355 lowered HIV viral loads after 24 weeks better than a placebo. Entry inhibitors block HIV before it enters human cells rather than fighting it once inside the cells.

The trial enrolled 82 treatment-experienced HIV-positive patients who had viral loads of at least 10,000 copies per milliliter and CD4+ T cell counts of at least 50 cells per milliliter and were failing or had recently failed to respond to highly active antiretroviral therapy. One-third of the patients received a placebo and two-thirds received one of two doses of TNX-355. All of the trial participants also received standard antiretroviral therapy. Tanox said it plans to conduct a Phase III trial of TNX-355 in 2006, and will apply for FDA approval in 2008.