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HIV expert welcomes new drug offers

Thursday, 24 April 2008

A SOUTHSIDE expert in infectious diseases who has led the fight against HIV/AIDS in Dublin over the past 20 years has warmly welcomed a new treatment that offers hope to thousands of people infected with the virus.
Known as ‘Isentress’ it is the first in a new class of treatments that targets the HIV virus by blocking integrase, a protein HIV needs to enter human cells and make more copies of itself.
Dr Colm Bergin, Consultant in Infectious Diseases at St James’s Hospital, said the availability of integrase inhibitors represented a significant advancement in the treatment of HIV infection.
“Isentress will provide a new treatment to patients who are no longer being controlled by current therapies and therefore need new options,” he said.
Dr Bergin is head of the Department of GU Medicine and Infectious Diseases (GUIDE) at St James’s Hospital.
The department has a list of approximately 2,000 HIV positive patients with 600 Hepatitis C co-infected patients.
The department additionally provides a hospital-wide infectious disease consultancy service and runs a general infectious diseases outpatient clinic.
In 1996 Dr Bergin travelled to Boston University to complete a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases and in 1997 he was awarded the Kass Award for Clinical Excellence from the Massachusetts Infectious Diseases Society.
His laboratory research focused on ‘Virulence Factors Associated with Mycobacterial Infection’, while clinically his work focused on HIV-Hepatitis Co-infection.
In 1999 he was appointed Consultant in Infectious Diseases at St James’s Hospital, and Lecturer in Medicine at Trinity College.
Since 1999 Dr Bergin has spearheaded the fight against HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C infection from his base at St James’s.
The manufacturers of Isentress MSD Ireland (Human Health) Ltd described the launch of the new treatment as “a breakthrough in the treatment of HIV”.
Its availability provides fresh hope for many of the 4,419 people in Ireland living with HIV and in particular for those whose current therapy is no longer controlling the virus.
Dr Colm Galligan, medical director of MSD Ireland (Human Health) Ltd, said: “Isentree marks another milestone in the company’s 20-year history of continued commitment to combating HIV and AIDS.
“This includes the development of a number of treatments currently available worldwide and extensive research programmes into additional treatment options and a HIV vaccine.”

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