DFH Pharma Inc. announced a collaborative agreement with the National Cancer Institute to further the development of the next generation of HIV maturation inhibitor drugs. Maturation inhibitors are a novel class of antiretroviral drug candidates that inhibit HIV-1 replication by interfering with the maturation of the HIV-1 virus.

The collaboration will involve extending efforts by DFH Pharma to identify drug candidates with potent activity against all HIV strains, including those that proved resistant to the first-in-class maturation inhibitor, bevirimat. DFH scientists have identified a series of second-generation maturation inhibitors with the broad anti-viral activity profile necessary for successful HIV drug development.

The NCI investigators will evaluate the activity of the compounds against HIV strains associated with reduced bevirimat activity. The most potent of the compounds will be selected for further preclinical testing with a goal of initiating human clinical trials with one or more candidate molecules.

Release Date: Jan. 10, 2012
Source: DFH Pharma Inc.