Abstract

AIDS: Gilead Sciences has seen beneficial results from two trials of adefovir dipivoxil (Preveon) in the treatment of HIV. An additional trial of adefovir dipivoxil was a success, dramatically reducing hepatitis B viral load by 99.99 percent. GS 411 assigned treatment-naive patients to one of five regimens that included indinavir (Crixivan) and adefovir. The results suggest that adefovir, which is metabolized differently and has different side effects, may be an alternative for some nucleoside analogs. GS 408 added adefovir to the regimens of treatment-experienced patients and showed a marked decrease in viral load for those patients who used adefovir versus a placebo. Adefovir dipivoxil may also be used effectively against other viruses such as CMV, HHV6 and Epstein-Barr. Long-term effectiveness in controlling the HIV virus has yet to be determined.