Hoffmann-La Roche's TAT antagonist
Executive Summary
Anti-HIV drug will be developed by the company on its own "after an intensive search for a licensing partner," Roche reports Dec. 19. The firm notes that "there was a great deal of interest" in licensing Ro 24-7429 but felt the TAT antagonist could benefit from Roche's experience with Hivid (ddC). Recent reports of disappointing results with reverse transcriptase inhibitors ("The Pink Sheet" Dec. 2, T&G-7), Roche said, also contributed to its decision to "refocus its efforts on the TAT antagonist." To date, Ro 24-7429 has been studied in two small pilot trials. Roche hopes to begin Phase II efficacy studies in "early 1992".