At the 12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, a GlaxoSmithKline researcher presented data on the progress being made on a new experimental HIV drug.

In a controlled study of 31 patients, the drug suppressed HIV by about 98 percent after just 10 days of treatment, said James Demarest, leader of Glaxo's clinical virology department in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Demarest said the drug, called 873140, should enter Phase III efficacy studies involving hundreds of patients later in the year.

The drug blocks HIV from using the CCR5 receptors to enter human cells. The drug compound was licensed from Japan-based Ono Pharmaceutical Co., which retains certain Asian marketing rights. The GSK drug received fast-track status from the Food and Drug Administration. Pfizer Inc. and Schering-Plough Corp. are developing similar drugs.

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