Pfizer says new anti-Aids drug a breakthrough

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has described its new anti-HIV/Aids drug as a definite breakthrough. The drug is the first new class of oral HIV medicines to be introduced in more than 10 years.

Pfizer says after a 48-week trial, nearly three times as many patients receiving the drug combined with traditional medication recorded undetectable levels compared with those getting the normal treatments. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the drug.

Pfizer medical director Nirvana Raghubir says: "It currently addresses an un-met medical need. We currently have many anti-retrovirals on the market, and Selzentry - our new drug - works on a different mechanism, and it provides another opportunity for patients who are resistant to current available medication. The current treatments that are available work by working inside the white blood cells, and CCR-5 is on the outside of the cell. Selzentry works by preventing the virus (from) entering into the white blood cell on the outside surface, so it's a unique method of action."