Chinese Medicine Against AIDS Goes On Trial
Beijing, China
Prensa Latina
Jul 11, 2005
A Chinese drug against
HIV/AIDS has gone on clinical trial after a
four-year research at the Tianjin-based FusoGen
Pharmaceuticals laboratories, the China Daily
newspaper reported Monday.
The medication functions as in HIV fusion
inhibitor, and was inspired by the T20 inhibitor
developed in the United States.
But the Chinese counterpart employs a totally
different molecular modelling, Zhou Genfa,
FuosoGen chairman said.
Gao Fu, a leading microbiologist researcher,
explained that normally the HIV virus invades the
human body by fusing the cell's membrane.
So the key is to safeguard the 'gate' and
prevent the occurrence of membrane fusion, Gao
said.
Fusogen hopes the drug will pass the tests and
receive the green light from health authorities.
If the medication is okeyed it will go on sale
by the end of 2006.
The only drawback up to now is that patients
will need daily inoculations of the inhibitor to
keep fit.
But in compensation its price will be much
lower than the 20,000 US dollars per patient per
year of the T20, Zhou pointed out.
