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Uganda is to begin trials on Chemokine Receptor (CCR5), a new anti-AIDS drug that prevents the virus from spreading in infected people, Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals has announced.
A local newspaper, New Vision, quoted an infectious diseases specialist from Pfizer, Dr Ann Kolokathis, as saying: "The CCR5 inhibits the virus from entering the cell receptor, so it protects [against] infection of other cells in HIV/AIDS patients and they can live a little longer."
Kolokathis, who is part of a visiting delegation from the Pfizer Diflucan Partnership, were shown around the hospital in Jinja, about 80 km from the capital, Kampala.
Pfizer currently provides Diflucan, an anti-fungal medication, to HIV-positive people with opportunistic infections like meningitis, free of charge at 987 sites in 25 countries hard-hit by the pandemic.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions