Calanolide A is being developed by Sarawak MediChem Pharmaceuticals. They have a useful web site that includes the latest news & research reports on this drug: click here.
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Calanolide A is an anti-HIV medication, derived from a plant in the rain forest (Callophylum). It is in a category of HIV medicines called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Calanolide A prevents HIV from entering the nucleus of healthy T-cells. This prevents the cells from producing new virus and decreases the amount of virus in the body.
Calanolide A is an experimental drug being developed by Sarawak MediChem Pharmaceuticals. It has not yet been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by people living with HIV.
Calanolide A will need to be used in combination with other drugs. Clinical trials will evaluate its effect in combination with other drugs, including protease inhibitors and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.
What is already known about calanolide A?
Calanolide A will likely need to be taken twice a day. The exact dose has not yet been determined.
Like other non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), calanolide A might interact with other medications, including those used to treat HIV. It is important that your personal physician and/or the research nurse or study investigator be aware of all drugs you are taking, including those you buy without a prescription.
It is expected that calanolide A, when combined with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), will have strong activity against HIV in people who have never taken an NNRTI in the past. Information from clinical trials is expected soon.
Most NNRTIs dramatically reduce viral load soon after the first dose is taken. Calanolide A, for reasons that are not yet known, seems to have a delayed effect. According to one recent study, calanolide A didn't show any effect against HIV for the first two weeks of therapy.
It is not yet know if calanolide A will work against strains of HIV that are already resistant to currently available NNRTIs. All of the currently marketed NNRTIs are highly cross-resistant to each other. Test tube data suggest that calanolide A might be effective against some strains of the virus that are at least partly resistant to any of the approved drugs. But this cannot be determined until information from clinical trials is made available.
What is known about side effects?
The most common side effects seen in people taking calanolide A are headache, oily taste, dizziness, and heartburn.
Other side effects may occur as a result of taking calanolide A. These have not yet been fully examined in clinical trials and have not yet been reviewed by the FDA.
Who should not take calanolide A?
It is not known whether calanolide A will harm an unborn baby. It is very important to treat HIV/AIDS during pregnancy to reduce the risk of infecting your baby. Talk to your doctor about your treatment options.
It is not known whether calanolide A passes into breast milk and what effect it may have on a nursing baby. To prevent transmission of the virus to uninfected babies, it is recommended that HIV-positive mothers not breast-feed.
Where can I learn more about clinical trials of calanolide A?
If you would like to find out if you are eligible for any clinical trials that include calanolide A, there is an interactive web site run by ACRIA, the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America.
Another useful service for finding clinical trials is AIDSinfo.nih.gov, a site run by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. They have "health information specialists" you can talk to at their toll-free number at 1-800-HIV-0440 (1-800-448-0440).
Last Revised: August 18, 2003
This content is written by the editorial team at AIDSmeds.com.
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(+)-calanolide A
belongs to a class of anti-HIV drugs called 
Check My Meds
Like other 
It is not known whether calanolide A will harm an unborn baby. It is very important to treat HIV/AIDS during pregnancy to reduce the risk of infecting your baby. Talk to your doctor about your treatment options.
It is not known whether calanolide A passes into breast milk and what effect it may have on a nursing baby. To prevent transmission of the virus to uninfected babies, it is recommended that HIV-positive mothers not breast-feed.
