Incyte’s
experimental anti-HIV drug shows promise

Reverset, an experimental nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor under development by Incyte, shows promise in treating HIV infection in patients who are resistant to other antiretroviral medications, researchers reported at the third International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Rio de Janeiro. A six-month Phase II clinical trial of the medication in nearly 200 HIV-positive adults in the United States and Europe shows that 200-milligram, once-daily doses of the medication reduced blood-based viral loads by more than 90% in slightly more than half the study subjects who had built up resistance to other anti-HIV drugs. The company plans to launch a final Phase III trial later this year.