Rome (Fides Service) - The Italian Higher Institute for Health ISS intends before June this year to enlist 30 more volunteers to extend its study to demonstrate the effectiveness of Indinavir, anti-retroviral drug normally used to treat people affected by the HIV virus, in therapy for the Kaposi sarcoma not related to HIV.
The study co-ordinated by Barbara Ensoli, head of the AIDS of the ISS Department for Infective, Parasite and Immune-mediate Diseases, was started in June 2003 and so far a group of 19 patients have been enlisted which will hopefully grow to 50 by June. The present phase is stage 2 of clinical testing involving 10 centres in various parts of Italy financed by the ISS.
“The study - says Dr Ensoli -, which consists of giving oral Indinavir, serves to show that this HIV protease inhibitor can be a new therapy for the classic Kaposi sarcoma providing a possible alternative to chemotherapy commonly used for this type of tumour, but which is highly toxic, requires hospitalisation and fails moreover to produce lasting remission of the illness ”.

(AP) (30/3/2004 Agenzia Fides; Righe:20; Parole:203)

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	See info in Italian Kaposi