Treatment of the first HIV positive patient in ABIVAX’s Phase IIa clinical trial with ABX464
ABIVAX announced that enrolment has been initiated and the first HIV positive patient dosed in a Phase IIa clinical trial of ABX464. ABX464 is a novel, small molecule inhibiting HIV replication through an entirely new mechanism. For the first time in the treatment of AIDS, this molecule could deliver a long lasting reduction of the viral load after a treatment of only a few weeks.
In collaboration with the team of Professor Jamal Tazi at the CNRS in Montpellier, France, ABIVAX designed ABX464 to lead to a clinically relevant improvement in HIV therapy. ABX464 inhibits the biogenesis of viral RNA required for the replication of the HIV virus, a mechanism of action never before explored.
In pre-clinical reference models of HIV, ABX464 has proven its unique ability to induce a substantial reduction in viral load that persists for weeks after treatment arrest. Such an anti-viral effect has never been observed with existing treatments.
With current HIV treatments, the virus starts multiplying again as soon as the drugs are withdrawn, which typically means daily, life-long treatment for patients. Additionally, in pre-clinical tests, the HIV virus did not develop any resistance to ABX464. Pending confirmation in clinical trials, this unique mode of action and preclinical data to-date suggest that ABX464 could:
- Induce long term control of the viral load
- Not induce HIV mutants that are resistant to treatment
- Be less frequently administered over a shorter period than standard treatments; providing the potential to reduce healthcare costs and offer broader access to treatment
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