Medivir has commenced a phase IIa clinical trial targeting multiresistan

Phase IIa clinical trial commenced with MIV-310 targeting multiresistant HIV A clinical trial of Medivir's antiviral targeting multiresistant HIV (MIV-310) has newly commenced. The trial has been designed to prove antiviral activity at a toxicologically acceptable dose in patients bearing multiresistant HIV. The trial is a proof-of-principle study in which patients infected with multiresistant HIV and with measurable levels of virus in plasma will be treated with MIV-310 for one month. This treatment will be in addition to pre-existing ongoing standard treatment regime. Medivir will be able to use data from the previous phase I and II trials as regards the compound's safety profile. Patients with multiresistant HIV have few effective treatment options left and their prognosis is poor. Resistance development is a substantial problem and is becoming more common. Multiresistant viral strains already exist for which there are no effective drugs available. Modern treatment regimes where HIV patients are treated earlier in the disease, for longer periods and with a combination of several drugs have improved patients' general health and greatly increased the market of HIV-pharmaceuticals. Combination treatment with three drugs has become a standard regime for HIV/AIDS, inter alia assisting in retarding the appearance of resistant HIV. However the problem with resistance development and side effects still remains and even with a triple combination resistant HIV arises. Around 30 per cent of HIV-patients in USA do not respond to treatment with currently available antivirals, largely due to HIV becoming resistant. For further information, please contact: Jonas Frick, CEO Medivir, +46 8 608 3117 or Rein Piir, CFO/VP IR Medivir, +46 8 608 3123, +46 708 53 7292 The Medivir group Medivir is an innovative and specialized research company active in the pharmaceuticals sphere, located in Cambridge, UK and Huddinge, Sweden. Medivir's research focuses on the development of new pharmaceutical compounds as inhibitors of target enzymes with protease or polymerase activity. The group comprises Medivir AB, the subsidiaries Medivir UK Ltd. and CCS AB, plus second-tier subsidiaries CCS (UK) Ltd. and Nordic Care Sweden AB (formerly Jillprodukter). Medivir is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange since 1996. The research portfolio includes projects against HIV, jaundice, shingles, cold sores, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis and organ/graft rejection. Medivir has five projects in clinical development. Of these, two are moving towards phase III trials after having completed phase II trials. Two are in phase I and one is in phase II. Medivir's pre-clinical research encompasses a number of projects, of which one is on its way and two are in the lead optimization phase and one is in the late pre- clinical research stage. For more information about Medivir, visit the company's web site at http:// www.medivir.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/10/25/20011025BIT01440/bit0002.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/10/25/20011025BIT01440/bit0002.pdf