Clinical trial investigates Remune for HIV

The Immune Response Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to treating and preventing HIV and AIDS through the development of immune-based therapies, has started a new HIV clinical trial in Canada.

Remune, the company's lead product candidate, will be included in a study investigating the ability of therapeutic HIV vaccination to delay rebound in plasma viremia after scheduled interruption of antiretroviral therapy.

The three-arm, double-blind, randomised clinical trial will start early in April and will run for more than 18 months. Sixty people with HIV from Ottawa and Montreal, who have been on effective therapy and have had no detectable HIV in their blood for at least two years, will be enrolled. 'An effective therapeutic vaccine may help the person's immune system control their HIV infection, potentially without the use of medications, and provide important insights into the development of an effective preventive vaccine,' concluded Dr Jonathan Angel, principal investigator for this trial.

'As a company dedicated to developing effective immune-based therapies against HIV, we are pleased to be participating in this important trial in Canada,' said Dr Georgia Theofan, vice president of clinical development at The Immune Response Corporation. 'Using therapeutic vaccination to potentially delay rebound of plasma viremia during antiretroviral treatment interruption could be a way to provide HIV patients with a reprieve from the toxic side effects of those drugs.'

Dr John Bonfiglio, chief executive officer of The Immune Response Corporation commented: 'This Canadian trial is an important step in our clinical plan, which will expand to include our newest product candidate, IR103, in addition to ongoing studies with Remune. Our strategy to obtain data on both products as quickly as possible will help us move toward commercialisation.'