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China develops AIDS drug

NANCHANG: China has developed its first AIDS drug with independent intellectual property right, the producers announced here on Wednesday.

The drug, Dicaffeoyqunic Acid Tablets, marks a major breakthrough and has outperformed cocktail therapy in experiments on monkeys, said He Fuchu, vice-president of Academy of Military Medical Science, developer of the medicine.

The drug has been approved by the State Food and Drug Administration for clinical tests on humans after passing tests on animals, said Mr. He, who is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Science.

``The safety of the new drug is reliable,'' he said. The medicine features remarkable performance in curbing the duplication of the HIV virus and its effectiveness lasts longer than the commonly-used cocktail therapy, said Mr. He.

The latter, which has been widely used in the world, is functional in suppressing the virus and keeping it from damaging the immune system. However, it is not a cure. If the drugs are stopped, the virus bounces back immediately, he said.

The World AIDS Day-2005, which is observed on December 1 with the slogan ``Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise,'' kicked off at the United Nations building in Kathmandu on Wednesday. U.N. resident representative to Nepal Matthew Kahane urged all agencies concerned and people to make a strong effort to fight the disease. — Xinhua

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