Pfizer's Celsentri Drug for UK HIV Patients

The new drug prevents the HIV virus from entering cells in the immune system HIV patients in the UK will now be able to be provided with a new kind of drug - a situation not experienced since the mid-1990s. Celsentri - made by Pfizer - works by preventing the HIV virus from entering cells in the immune system. It cannot cure patients of the disease, but it can be beneficial in instances where previous drugs have proved ineffective.

News of its availability has been received warmly by HIV charity groups.

A three-drug mixture, known collectively as HAART, or Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy, has, to date, significantly bettered HIV patients' life expectancy. However, resistance to HAART has also been noted.

HIV Drug Celsentri is the First of a New Class

Celsentri, or maraviroc, received US approval three months ago. Here, it is sold as Selzentry. Although it is designed to be taken in tandem with other drugs in the anti-retroviral class, the way it works is entirely new. Whereas previous medications attack HIV once it is in place within immune cells, Celsentri stops it from getting there in the first place by blocking its way in.

Effectively, the drug forms a barrier over the CCR5 receptor used by HIV both to access and infect CD4-T cells.

In trials, Celsentri has been shown to be effective on patients with a certain type of HIV - namely, CCR5-tropic HIV-1. In these, it was observed to be able of both assisting with lowering the amount of virus flowing around the body, and of boosting the percentage of unaffected CD4 cells.

A number estimated between 50 per cent and 78 per cent of HIV patients have the disease in CCR5-tropic HIV 1 form.

Celsentri of Huge Importance to HIV Patients

Commenting on the significance of Celsentri joining the UK market, the British HIV Association's chair, Professor Margaret Johnson, described the news as "...incredibly important for the HIV community." She added: "HIV is known to mutate aggressively and some patients become resistant to the treatments available. New drugs and particularly new classes of treatment are fundamental for continued good health."

Her comments were echoed by the Terrence Higgins Trust's Roger Pebody, who stated: "Maraviroc could make a real difference to people with HIV who are resistant to other drugs."

In the latest available figures, HIV has been attributed to the deaths of 25 million people around the world. An estimated 40 million more are living with the disease.

Source - Pharmaceutical International's Research and Development Analyst