Posted on May 31, 2017
Source: Reuters
"Gilead Sciences Inc and GlaxoSmithKline Plc will go head-to-head with rival versions of an improved class of HIV medicines, after clinical studies showed the U.S. company's new drug bictegravir was as effective as GSK's product.
Four late-stage studies from Gilead all met their goals, with bictegravir matching the efficacy of GSK's established dolutegravir, which has been the cornerstone of the British group's growing HIV business in recent years.
Both drugs are so-called integrase inhibitors, a type of medicine that has proved extremely effective at blocking the AIDS virus. They are designed to be given alongside older antiretroviral therapies.
In a statement on Tuesday, Gilead said drug combinations testing bictegravir had proved equally good, or 'non-inferior', to combinations using dolutegravir, as measured by their ability to suppress levels of HIV.
The news confirms a looming competitive threat to GSK's important ViiV Healthcare business, but it also suggests the balance may not tip overwhelmingly in favor of Gilead."
