Are HIV Drugs Only Addressing Quantity versus Quality of Life Issues for Patients?

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On World AIDS Day, people all over the world join together to educate one another about the disease, remember those who lost their lives fighting the disease, raise funds, and take action to stop the spread of HIV. The theme for the 2007 World AIDS Day is “Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise- Leadership.” The focus is on getting everyone, not just the government, to take initiative and provide leadership on fighting HIV/AIDS.

Las Vegas-based Samaritan Pharmaceuticals is offering up Dr. Janet Greeson to discuss patient treatment issues for those planning coverage of World AIDS day.

According to Dr. Greeson, best-selling author and CEO of Samaritan Pharmaceuticals, although many of today’s drugs do a great job of extending life expectancies, the possible side effects such as kidney stones, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increased cholesterol, increased triglycerides, increased glucose (sugar), headache, weakness, blurred vision, dizziness, rash, metallic taste, low platelets, hair loss, and anemia, might make people question their benefits or discontinue use.

Dr. Greeson can discuss how quality of life issues should be taken into consideration as early as in the research and developmental stages of drugs.

Topics for discussion:

* What constitutes “quality of life” for HIV patients?
* What can pharma companies take into consideration when investigating new HIV drugs?
* What new drugs in the pipeline help to address these issues
* What will the future of HIV drugs hold?

Dr. Greeson is a co-inventor of eighteen patent applications, and presently has nine “peer reviewed” journal publications. Dr. Greeson holds a BA from Florida Technological University; an MA from Rollins College; and a PhD from Columbia Pacific University.

The research team at Samaritan is currently investigating SP-01A, an HIV oral entry inhibitor drug. In order for viruses to reproduce, they must infect or hijack a cell, and use it to make new viruses. Viruses hide their own DNA in the DNA of the cell, and then, when the cell tries to make new proteins, it accidentally makes new viruses as well. HIV mostly infects cells in the immune system.

Clinical studies to date suggest that SP-01A prevents HIV from entering cells by inhibiting HIV-1 viral replication through a novel mechanism that is unique to any antiviral drug. SP-01A reduces intracellular cholesterol and corticosteroid biosynthesis, which causes the inability of lipid rafts in the cellular membrane to organize, ultimately preventing fusion of an HIV receptor and both the CCR5 and CXCR4 cellular receptors.

Importantly, study participants reported on surveys that the drug was well tolerated with little or no side effects thus prompting participants to stay on the medication.

Earlier this year, Samaritan and Pharmaplaz announced a collaboration to develop and commercialize SP-01A, in Phase II human clinical trials.

Source: Samaritian Pharmaceuticals

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