To: John Dwyer who wrote (334 ) 5/7/1998 8:27:00 AM From: Dr. John M. de Castro Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 1494
NTII's memantine is in Phase II trials for AIDS related dementia. The attached article suggest how severe a problem it is and how difficult it is to treat. Memantine is a neuroprotectant. Although it won't eliminate the AIDS virus. it will protect the neural tissue from damage by the virus. Results should be out by the end of the year. This should constitute a fairly large market for memantine as it would have to be taken daily as long as the virus was present in the patient. As of now, tragically, that means for the rest of his/her life. John de C 11:27 AM ET 05/06/98 Drug seen ineffective against AIDS-linked brain virus BOSTON (Reuters) - Tests show that the anti-cancer drug cytarabine is not effective for treating AIDS patients suffering from a deadly brain infection, according to a report in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. Cytarabine, sold under the brand name Cytosar-U by Pharmacia & UpJohn, is frequently prescribed for people with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). The once-rare condition makes brain cells deteriorate, causes vision problems, confusion and muscle weakness. The condition strikes about 4 percent of patients with AIDS, typically killing them in about three months. There is no other effective therapy. To test cytarabine, Colin D. Hall of the University of North Carolina and his colleagues gave either a placebo or the drug to 57 volunteers with PML for 24 weeks. All received anti-virus drugs as well. The cytarabine did not improve the survival rate, which averaged less than four months for people taking the medicine. Twenty-two of the 57 patients died before they could be given the full treatment with the medicine. REUTERS