History and Accomplishments of the Inter-Company Collaboration for Aids Drug Development
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0092-8615/2000
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HISTORY AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE INTER-COMPANY COLLABORATION FOR AIDS DRUG DEVELOPMENT DAVIDW. BARRY,MD Chairman and CEO, Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Durham, North Carolina
LINDAM. DISTLERATH, PHD, JD Vice President, Public Affairs, Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey
In April 1993, I5 pharmaceutical organizations came together to work against a common enemy-HIV The group they formed was called the Inter-Company Collaboration for AIDS Drug Development (ICC). The treatments for HIV infection available at the time were unsatisfactory, despite the fact that several antiretroviral drugs had been approved and others were in development. Moreovec there was growing acknowledgment in the scientific community rhat multiple drugs in combination would be needed to suppress HIV To expedite the HIV drug development process, the major companies involved in HIV antiviral research chose to collaborate to facilitate studies of their H N antiviral drugs, especially those still in the pipeline and not yet approved by regulatory agencies in novel combinations. The ICC served as an invaluable forum for exchanging clinical data, spurring independent collaborations among member companies, and giving the industry an opportunity to interact with important outside groups involved in AIDS drug development. It has also consistently worked to expedite the development of effective AIDS drugs so that they are available as soon as possible to both physicians and patients. This article discusses the role of the ICC in H N drug research and development during the ICCkJirstJive years as well as what lies ahead for the organization during its second Jive-year term. Key Words: Inter-Company Collaboration for AIDS Drug Development; ICC; HIV, AIDS; A I D S combination therapies
ON JULY 1, 1993, senior scientific officers from 15 major pharmaceutical companies gathered for an unprecedented meeting. In a research-based industry legendary for its secrecy, they were there to compare data on experimental AIDS drugs currently under development in their laboratories. Where appropriate, they were prepared to share sup-
Reprint address: Dr. Linda M. Distlerath, One Merck Drive, Po Box 100, WS3A-70, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889-0100.
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plies of the drugs themselves. Any other company identified as actively engaged in developing HIV antiviral drugs could also join the group. The group’s stated goal was to facilitate more rapid development of antiviral drugs against HIV, the virus responsible for AIDS, which was then moving into its second decade as an urgent public health crisis. The limited duration of clinical benefit observed when the earliest available drugs were used singly (monotherapy) strongly suggested that no one agcnt would prove capable of stopping HIV, and a consensus was
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David W. Barty and Linah M. Distlerath
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