Bristol-Myers, Gilead Work on New Combo HIV Pill

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Gilead Sciences Inc. announced Wednesday a deal to develop and sell a once-a-day HIV pill that combines a popular protease inhibitor (PI) with a boosting agent.

Under the plan, Bristol-Myers will formulate, manufacture, and sell the combination treatment. The pill includes Bristol-Myers’ PI Reyataz and Gilead’s cobicistat, which works to raise HIV drug levels in the blood by blocking an enzyme that breaks down drugs. Gilead is currently conducting mid- and late-stage human trials of the combination pill in newly diagnosed patients.

The two companies already work together on the three-drug pill Atripla, the first approved once-a-day HIV drug; it is now prescribed to more than half of new HIV patients. Atripla includes Sustiva, made by Bristol-Myers, and Gilead’s Viread and Emtriva.

Combination pills have become the foundation of HIV treatment, as they make regimen adherence much less difficult.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

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