Exclusive Licence For New A.I.D.S. Drug? (Press, 11 February 1987)
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Summary: Exclusive Licence For New A.I.D.S. Drug? (Press, 11 February 1987)
On 11 February 1987, United States officials announced that the government intended to grant an exclusive manufacturing licence for a new drug aimed at treating AIDS to the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche. This decision, pending any adverse findings within the next two months, would be handled by the Commerce Department’s Federal patent arm. Hoffmann, based in Nutley, New Jersey, operates as the United States affiliate of F. Hoffmann-La Roche, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. The drug in question, dideoxycytidine (D.D.C.), is currently undergoing testing on patients with advanced AIDS at the National Cancer Institute. A representative from the institute, opting to remain anonymous, clarified that laboratory tests have shown D.D.C. can inhibit the replication of the AIDS virus, subsequently allowing the immune system to rebuild. However, it was emphasised that this drug is not intended to cure or prevent AIDS; it only aims to slow the disease's progression. Early laboratory tests, particularly those involving animal subjects, suggested that D.D.C. might be more effective against the AIDS virus and less toxic than another drug, AZT, manufactured by Burroughs-Wellcome. AZT has already been recommended for approval by an advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is awaiting final evaluation by the agency. John Doorley, a spokesman for Hoffmann, expressed enthusiasm over the licence announcement but cautioned that it could take several years, if not longer, before D.D.C. becomes available on the market. He pointed out that the drug would require extensive testing and must go through a series of regulatory approvals from the FDA before it can be marketed. Should D.D.C. receive approval, Hoffmann would hold exclusive marketing rights under the granted manufacturing licence.
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