Pharmaprojects R&D Pipeline News Feed
Pfizer reports first filing of CCR5 inhibitor
22 Jan 2007
Pfizer has reported that its anti-HIV CCR5 antagonist, maraviroc, is now awaiting registration in the EU. A US filing will follow.
If approved, maraviroc will be the first new type of anti-HIV medication since Roche's Fuzeon (enfuvirtide) hit the market in 2003. Pfizer's advantage in the area of CCR5 antagonists was boosted during 2005, when both of its nearest rivals, GlaxoSmithKline's aplaviroc hydrochloride and Schering-Plough's vicriviroc maleate, encountered problems. This led to the the discontinuation of the former and the restriction to development for treatment-experienced patients for the latter, giving Pfizer an apparently clear run to the market. CCR5 inhibitors work by binding to one of the chemokine coreceptors which HIV uses to enter its target cells.
Pfizer also recently revealed details of its 81 drug candidates which are in Phase I and II trials in its most wide-ranging pipeline update to date, published on 20th December.
