07/2004 Press Release

Highlights Need to Develop New Targeted Drugs To
Overcome Resistant Strains of HIV

PARIS – 1 July 2004 – BioAlliance Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the field of drug resistance, today announced that a research team from l’Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), L'Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), and the Company reported preclinical data on a new means of anti-integrase therapy involving styrylquinolines (SQLs) in the Journal of Virology (Vol. 78, No. 11: 5728-5736).

Members of the research team also presented a poster on this topic, “In vitro Development of Resistance Against Styrylquinolines of HIV-1 by Emergence of Integrase Mutations,” at the XIII International HIV Drug Resistance Workshop, held in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, 8-12 June 2004.

The use of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) inhibitors such as reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitors has led to the emergence of resistant strains.  Retroviral integration, the process that stably inserts the DNA copy of the viral genomic RNA into the host cell genome, is an essential step for productive infection and is catalyzed by the HIV integrase. Since this enzyme as no direct cellular counterpart, it represents an attractive target for the treatment of HIV infection and supports the introduction of integrase inhibitors as a potential means of combating the emergence of drug resistant viral strains. 

In their research, investigators confirmed the target of SQLs by mutations evidenced in the integrase gene when viruses were grown in the presence of increasing concentrations of SQLs.  Treatment of HIV-1-infected cells with SQLs reduced the amount of the late cDNA, suggesting for the first time that integrase targeting molecules may affect the accumulation of DNA during reverse transcription, positioning SQLs as a group of anti-integrase compounds.  

“This study provides support for the concept that these compounds are integrase-targeting inhibitors that act at one or several steps prior to integration,” said Jean- François Mouscadet, Director of Research at the Laboratory for Biotechnology and Applied Pharmacology, l’Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, France and lead investigator for the study.

The study also demonstrates that SQLs are active against HIV mutant strains that are resistant to a diketo acid moiety and to reverse transcriptase inhibitors, positioning them after diketo acid members as a new means of anti-integrase therapy.

About BioAlliance Pharma

BioAlliance Pharma is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics and predictive assays in the field of drug resistance, targeting cancer and infectious diseases, including in particular HIV. The Company has a balanced portfolio of products and proprietary technologies in various stages of development, from preclinical research to a product approved for marketing. To supply this pipeline of products, BioAlliance maintains a unique network of alliances with leading academic investigators from French research institutions, including Le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), L'Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) and the Institut Pasteur, among others.

To exploit the opportunities represented by the BioAlliance pipeline, the company emphasizes four areas of product development:

Predictive Assays, with a HIV drug resistance test, Phenoscriptä, currently marketed through distribution partnerships in the US and Europe;

Adhesive Technology, with a lead product represented by Miconazole-Lauriadä, a once-a-day buccal bio-adhesive tablet developed to provide improved anti-fungal therapy for treatment of candidiasis in cancer and HIV patients receiving chemotherapy or immuno-suppressive drugs.   Miconazole-Lauriadä is currently in two Phase III clinical trials in France, one in HIV patients and the other in head and neck cancer patients following radiotherapy.  The Company intends to file an IND to conduct clinical studies in the U.S., pending a corporate partner;

Nanotechnology, focused on a portfolio of products including the Transdrugä program with an initial product, Doxorubicin-Transdrug, in a Phase I/II trial being conducted at clinical sites in France for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Doxorubicin-Transdrug consists of a polymer used to entrap doxorubicin administered by the intra-arterial route to treat primary liver cancer. HCC is a known resistant cancer without an approved therapy. Additional studies using this delivery nanotechnology are planned for treatment of liver metastasis and refractory solid tumors by the IV route;

New Chemical Entities, focused on resistance issues in HIV and cancer that could benefit from intra-cellular targeting, including an anti-HIV integrase inhibitor and cancer drugs covered by 20 exclusive patents and licenses.

For additional company background, click here.

Company Contact

Richard Keatinge
Vice President, Business Development
BioAlliance Pharma SA
Tel : +33 (0) 1 45 58 76 00
richard.keatinge@bioalliancepharma.com

Media Contact
Andrew Lloyd & Associates
Andrew Lloyd
Tel : +44 1 273 675100
Gilles Petitot
Tel : +33 1 56 54 07 00