PANACOS HIV DRUG RECEIVES FAST-TRACK STATUS

The FDA has granted fast-track status to PA-457, the once-daily oral drug candidate for the treatment of HIV from Panacos Pharmaceuticals.

The new drug, part of a class of HIV drugs called maturation inhibitors, blocks HIV maturation by inhibiting the final step in the processing of a major viral protein called Gag, so the virus particles released from infected cells are defective and noninfectious.