Molecules for Health, Inc., Presents Findings of Novel HIV/AIDS Therapy

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Molecules For Health, Inc.
Cancer Drug Research & Development
800 E. Leigh Street, Suite 208A
Virginia Biotechnology Research Park
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail: Mol4Hlthgvabiotech.com
March 22, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Howard Elford, PhD: [phone]
Molecules for Health, Inc., Presents Findings of Novel HIV/AIDS Therapy
Jerusalem, Israel -- Molecules for Health, Inc., (MFH), a privately owned
biopharmaceutical company, is presenting results of preclinical studies of its
lead compound, Didox, a ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor with potent
antiviral activity against HIV. At the 12th International Conference on
Antiviral Research here, MFH announced that studies in a mouse model found
Didox to be more potent and less toxic than another ribonucleotide reductase
inhibitor, hydroxyurea.
The severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID-hu) mouse model is believed to
be an ideal animal system in which to investigate the efficacy of anti-HIV drugs
because the mice have human blood cells that are susceptible to infection by
HIV. SCID-hu mice, exposed to high levels of infectious HIV, were treated with
either Didox at a dose of 450 mg/ kg or hydroxyurea at a dose of 600 mg/ kg.
Didox significantly reduced the amount of infectious HIV titers - from 4.8 x
103 TCID50/ 106 cells to 2.2 x 101 TCID50/ 106 cells. (TCID50 is the 50% tissue
culture infectious dose per one million cells.) Comparisons with hydroxyurea

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