The companies have signed separate royalty free license agreements with the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) that will allow the organization to develop the compounds as vaginal gels that could be effective in curtailing the spread of the disease.
The compounds are part of a new class of antiretrovirals known as “entry inhibitors.” Some of the compounds bind directly to HIV whilst others bind to the CCR5 receptor. They are designed to prevent HIV from efficiently entering host cells, thus preventing infection.
A study published in this week’s Nature reports that entry inhibitor compounds developed by Merck (CMPD 167) and by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS- 378806), when used as vaginal microbicides, protected some macaque monkeys from infection with a virus similar to HIV.
These microbicides could be developed as products, such as gels or creams that could be applied topically in the vagina or in a vaginal ring that releases the drug gradually over time, reducing transmission of HIV during vaginal intercourse. It is estimated that even a partially effective microbicide could prevent 2.5 million HIV infections over a period of three years.
“These historic agreements mark a turning point in the pharmaceutical industry’s commitment to developing a safe and effective microbicide to protect women from HIV,” said Dr Zeda Rosenberg, CEO of IPM.