Journal Will Publish Isoprinosine Study

Newport Pharmaceuticals said Monday that a leading medical journal has agreed to publish a study of the company’s drug, Isoprinosine, in the fight against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The Laguna Hills-based company said it would release further details Thursday at a press conference at the International AIDS Conference in San Francisco. Newport stock has shot up 66% since Thursday and closed Monday at $2.8125 in over-the-counter trading.

The article focuses on a Scandinavian study of 866 individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus, some of whom were treated with Isoprinosine. Some 19 of those patients contracted AIDS within a year, and of these, two were on Isoprinosine while 17 were on placebos.

Newport Pharmaceuticals hailed the study as proof of the drug’s merit in combating HIV, but studies in the United States and the United Kingdom have concluded that Isoprinosine is ineffective for that purpose.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has criticized the company in the past for conducting incomplete tests on Isoprinosine and for improperly promoting it.