Recent developments in HIV protease inhibitor research

Abstract

Over the past two years, HIV protease inhibitors have generated considerable excitement, both among the AIDS research community and among HIV-positive patients, when the first three drugs in this class (Hoffmann-La Roche's saquinavir, Abbott's ritonavir, and Merck's indinavir) received approval from the FDA. All three compounds have shown remarkable reduction of viral load, but have also been associated with the appearance of resistant viral strains. Thus, design and development of potent, structurally-unique HIV protease inhibitors, particularly those which do not show cross-resistance with the three commercially-available drugs, remains an active area of research. Three major classes of HIV protease inhibitors, peptide mimetics, C-2 symmetric inhibitors, and nonpeptidic inhibitors, are currently being explored by researchers. Current work in each of these areas is summarised, and promising compounds in various stages of development are highlighted