The AIDS pandemic continues to be a huge global health challenge. In the US, EU and Japan, those living with AIDS have been able to manage their disease through the use of modes of therapies discovered in the early- and mid-90's. Unfortunately, these populations are now showing resistance to these therapies. In addition, in the Developing World, many people with HIV/AIDS receive no therapy at all. The world's AIDS populations need new and different types of therapies.

Merck has recently received approval for ISENTRESS, an HIV therapy based on a new mode of action: inhibition of HIV integrase. The commercialization of this new and effective therapy has faced a variety of technical challenges that have been met by Merck's chemical engineers. This talk will describe the global context of the AIDS pandemic, the technical challenges faced by Merck's engineering team in bringing this to market, and the special challenges that are presented by bringing this therapy to the Developing World.