News and Events
Paired with dapivirine, maraviroc makes debut as first entry inhibitor ARV to enter clinical trials as a vaginal microbicide.
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 15, 2011 – In the first clinical trial of a vaginal ring combining two antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, researchers from the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) are collaborating with the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) to evaluate whether the ring is safe for use in women. If the ring does prove to be safe, it could be considered for further testing, and eventually be evaluated for its effectiveness as a microbicide for protecting women against HIV infection through vaginal sex.
The trial, which is funded by U.S. National Institutes of Health and goes by the name MTN-013/IPM 026, is evaluating a ring that contains the ARVs dapivirine and maraviroc. Each of these drugs works against HIV in a different way. Dapivirine belongs to a class of ARVs called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) that prevent HIV from making copies of itself. Maraviroc, on the other hand, is an entry inhibitor that blocks HIV from getting inside target cells.
The dapivirine-maraviroc ring is the first combination microbicide to enter clinical trials. It is also the first vaginal microbicide containing an entry inhibitor.
The ring was developed by IPM, a non-profit product development partnership headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, in collaboration with Queens University Belfast (Belfast, Northern Ireland). The belief is that combining the two drugs, which act at different points in the HIV “life cycle,” may provide greater protection against HIV than a single drug alone.
Read the full article on the International Partnership for Microbicides website.
