Antiretroviral Activity and Pharmacokinetics of Deferiprone in Healthy Volunteers and Asymptomatic HIV-infected Subjects

Inclusion Criteria: * Male or female aged ≥18 years and ≤ 60 years. * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of \>1000/mm3 for African black population and ≥ 1600/mm3 for all other races. * For Cohort 2: HIV-negative * For Cohorts 1 and 3: HIV-1 positive; CD4 count of at least 300/mm3; HIV-1 RNA copies (viral load) \>10 000 copies/mL serum; and current physical health stable and not requiring antiretroviral treatment * For Cohorts 1 and 3: Chest x-ray showing absence of active infectious diseases (such as tuberculosis, viral or atypical bacteria or parasitic infection). Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of any severe concomitant disease. * History of or current, recurrent or recent (4 weeks) febrile disease. * History of opportunistic infections, neoplasm or AIDS-defining conditions. * Inability to discontinue any medication from screening onwards, or for at least 2 weeks before the first admission; in particular any antiviral or therapy with immunosuppressive activity. * Significant liver impairment: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≥ 2.5 times the upper normal limit. * Significant kidney impairment: serum creatinine ≥ two times the upper normal limit. * Any concomitant disorder or resultant therapy likely to have interfered with subject compliance or with study procedures. * Known hypersensitivity to any of the test materials or related compounds. * Positive test for Hepatitis B and/or C antibodies. * A history of multiple and/or severe allergies to drugs or foods or a history of anaphylactic reactions. * History of seizures or epilepsy.