Gilead’s new HIV/AIDS drug, bictegravir, as effective as Glaxo product
London — Gilead Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline will go head-to-head with rival versions of an improved class of HIV medicines, after clinical studies showed the US company’s new drug bictegravir was as effective as Glaxo’s product. Four late-stage studies from Gilead all met their goals, with bictegravir matching the efficacy of Glaxo’s established dolutegravir, which has been the cornerstone of the British group’s growing HIV/AIDS 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 "noninferior", to combinations using dolutegravir, as measured by their ability to suppress levels of HIV. The news confirms a looming competitive threat to Glaxo’s important ViiV Healthcare business, but it also suggests the bala...
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