Boehringer says AIDS drug works in children

FRANKFURT, Aug 15 (Reuters) German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim's AIDS drug Aptivus helped reduce amounts of the virus in children, according to results of a study, the company said.

Boehringer yesterday said results from a 48-week analysis of the 115-child trial showed that patients achieved a decrease in virologic load, which measures the amount of virus in the blood.

They experienced an increase in the immunologic load, which measures CD4+ cells that protect the body against infection.

All but three of the children had undergone other treatments in the past and were infected with strains of the AIDS-causing HIV virus that showed high levels of resistance to other drugs.

Aptivus, or tipranavir, competes with rivals from GlaxoSmithKline, Roche, Pfizer and Merck&Co.

Unlisted Boehringer said in a statement it planned to apply for European approvals next year for the use of tipranavir in HIV-infected children who had received prior treatment with other drugs.

The results of the study were presented at the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada.

Boehringer was recently ousted as Germany's top drugmaker by sales by Bayer, which has acquired rival Schering for about 17 billion euros.

REUTERS MS RN0944