Hopes for a Once-a-Week Pill

Achillion's experimental nucleoside drug elvucitabine remains at therapeutic levels in the body for so long that it might be possible to be dosed just once weekly, according to company researchers. Study data presented at the 45th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy showed that when elvucitabine treatment was halted, blood-based concentrations of the drug remained three times higher than the level needed to inhibit viral replication by 50%'even 28 days after stopping the drug. AIDS experts say that while Achillion will continue developing the drug as a once-daily treatment, the new trial data will likely spur additional research into less-frequent dosing, including a possible once-weekly pill.