Thankfully, Barry Quart’s HIV drug appeared to be working. In recent Phase 1 testing, the compound, which blocks the activity of an enzyme HIV needs to continue its replication cycle, appeared to be well tolerated and had no notable side effects.
But while skimming the data in preparation for a board meeting, Quart noticed something. The patients taking the drug exhibited a dramatic decrease in levels of uric acid, a breakdown product of purine. Elevated uric acid levels, a condition known as hyperuricemia, are a hallmark of gout, a disease that causes kidney damage and painful attacks of arthritis when uric acid in the bloodstream crystallizes and deposits in the kidneys and joints.
As Quart recalls, after he shared this with the board, one member piped up: “Are you crazy? There’s a company developing a biologic that ...
