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news.Monogram Biosciences is to participate in the development of Merck & Co's investigational HIV-1 integrase inhibitor, MK-0518, by providing testing technologies for use in phase III trials of the drug.
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In the trials, drug resistance will be evaluated using Monogram’s PhenoSense GT, as well as other phenotypic and genotypic assays and clinical trial services.
MK-0518 is a novel compound with the potential to be the first in a new class of anti-retroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Integrase inhibitors are designed to block HIV from replicating by preventing the viral enzyme integrase from inserting HIV DNA into the human genome.
“We are very pleased to be initiating our phase III program for MK-0518,” said Daria Hazuda, vice president of Virus and Cell Biology, Merck Research Laboratories. “We have chosen to collaborate with Monogram Biosciences for HIV phenotypic and genotypic testing because of their expertise in developing technologies critical for optimizing patient therapy and evaluating drug resistance.”
MK-0518 entered phase III development early this year. The phase III studies will take place at study sites in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia.