November 8, 1995
Web posted at: 8 a.m. EST
From Correspondent Dan Rutz and wire service reports
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A committee of federal medical advisors has advised the Food and Drug Administration to approve a new class of drugs that battle AIDS by arresting the replication of the virus that causes it.
Saquinavir, a "protease inhibitor," is chemically different from other AIDS drugs like AZT. It functions differently and at a different time in the life cycle of the virus, experts said.
Research physicians like Dr. Melanie Thompson who have studied protease inhibitors say patients administered the compounds have shown a "rise in t-cell counts and a drop in viral burden." But, she said, it would be premature to say if these signs meant better health or a longer life.
The drug's advocates believe that protease inhibitors remain effective for a longer time than older AIDS drugs, many of which become feeble after two years. AIDS advocacy groups, which are urging the FDA to quickly approve the drug, hope that Saquinavir can prolong a patient's life or delay the onset of AIDS for those who are HIV positive.
Still under the present guidelines, the new drug will be approved for use only in combination with standard AIDS therapies. Experts feel that it works better and for an extended period that way.
But Martin Delaney of San Francisco's Project Inform worried that the promise of a new drug could be clouded by an unreasonably high cost. "The companies have been telling us for several ... almost two years now ... how expensive these drugs are to make," he said. "I get the feeling that they are sort of warming up for a big hit when it comes to cost." (56K AIFF sound or 56K WAV sound)
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