Once daily fixed dose HIV drug combination of 3 anti-HIV drugs development underway

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 17 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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A joint venture is underway to develop a once daily, fixed dose combination of 3 anti-HIV drugs. Three pharmaceutical companies have joined forces to develop this new approach to treat HIV - Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences and Merck & Co.

After Tommy Thompson, American Secretary of Health and Human Services has been asking pharmaceutical companies to join forces and produce new combination drugs to fight HIV. He said these new combination drugs would be fast tracked through the approval process. The aim is to help developing countries in their fight against AIDS/HIV.

Thompson said "We are clearing the way to quickly deliver quality, life-saving HIV/AIDS drugs to people who desperately need them in developing countries."

Two of the drugs belong to Gilead, they are Viread and Emtriva. The other drug is marketed by Bristol Myers Squibb as Sustiva in North America and most of Western Europe, and also by Merck, under the name of Stocrin in other parts of the world.

Gilead's drug Viread has been the only HIV drug that has managed to make any money. HIV drugs tend not to be great money makers for the pharmaceutical industry. Hence, the nudge from Mr Thompson.

Other pharmaceutical companies are also in talks and considering joint ventures - such as Glaxo Smithkline and Boehringer Ingelheim.