Here is an update on drug research from my reading-
The drug industry’s response to the HIV epidemic is widely viewed as a story of sterling R&D
success. With nearly 30 drugs in five different classes and lifelong three-drug treatment as the standard of care, innovation now centers on developing fixed-dose combinations to minimize dosing requirements and the risk of HIV mutations. Given this primacy of combinations, it’s apt that GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer are doing a little combining of their own—by spinning off their separate HIV portfolios and pipelines into a single independent entity.
Called ViiV Healthcare, the subsidiary aims to catch entrepreneurial fire by operating like any other struggling biotech bankrolled entirely by its own portfolio. First year sales are projected to be $2.4 billion. The terms of the deal reflect the relative valuations of each firm’s HIV assets, with Glaxo at 85 percent equity and Pfizer at 15 percent. In fact, this so-called joint venture looks more like a Glaxo experiment in business development. ViiV CEO Dominique Limet is the former head of personalized medicine at the British firm, while eight of the nine members of the ViiV executive team are also Glaxo alums. Cynics have noted that Pfizer may have been only too happy to unload its lone HIV drug, Selzentry, on Glaxo, whose globe-trotting commercial HIV operation can handle the well-intentioned but star-crossed product.
ViiV Healthcare’s pipeline features five antiretrovirals in Phase II and one in Phase I, a spread of non-nukes, integrase inhibitors, and CCR5 antagonists. According to Shaw, the most promising is Glaxo’s integrase blocker, which has shown “impressive” efficacy; if it pans out, it could give Merck’s first-in-class Isentress a run for its money.
In the absence of any truly transformative approach to HIV—not to mention a cure—drug combinations will remain the key to meeting patient needs. And the competition is only intensifying. Gilead expects to launch two triple-combo, one-a-day pills over the next few years, one in collaboration with fellow biotech Tibotec. ViiV’s best strategy may be to focus on developing a franchise of nucleoside-sparing fixed-dose options or something a little wild and crazy like bundling its protease inhibitor, Lexiva, with an integrase inhibitor.
Reference-
Disclaimer : The above information is for dissemination of knowledge only and should not be construed as medical advise. The scientific data presented here has been studied from leading publications already in public domain. The author however, assumes no responsibility regarding trueness of the data. Reference to stated journals and websites is encouraged in case of additional interest.
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