Raxibacumab for the treatment of inhalational anthrax.

Background: Inhalational anthrax caused by Bacillus anthracis is associated with high mortality primarily due to toxin-mediated injury. Raxibacumab is a human IgG1lambda monoclonal antibody directed against protective antigen, a component of the anthrax toxin.

Methods: We evaluated the efficacy of raxibacumab as a prophylactic agent and after disease onset in a total of four randomized, placebo-controlled studies conducted in rabbits and monkeys.

The effect of continuous versus pericycle antiretroviral therapy on IL-2 responsiveness.

Background: Intermittent administration of interleukin-2 (IL-2) to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is capable of inducing significant increases in CD4 T cell counts as a result of increased T cell survival and decreased cell turnover. However, its role in the setting of ART interruptions (STI) is less well characterized. We sought to compare the effect of continuous (C) versus intermittent (P) ART on CD4 responses in patients undergoing IL-2 therapy.