BMS and Gilead expand alliance to include Atripla

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Gilead Sciences have announced an expansion to their collaboration with a new agreement to commercialise Atripla.

The two companies will market the drug in Europe for the treatment of virologically suppressed adults with HIV-1 infection, subject to the product’s approval by the European commission.

Under the agreement, BMS and Gilead will share responsibility for commercialising Atripla through the European Union as well as in other European countries.

BMS will record revenues at percentages relative to the contribution represented by its individual product while Gilead will record revenues from future net sales of Atripla.

Previously Merck, Sharpe and Dohme (MSD) had an exclusive right to market any product containing efavirenz (a component of Atripla) in all European countries excluding UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Republic of Ireland.

However, BMS recently concluded an agreement with MSD whereby Merck granted BMS rights to co-commercialise Atripla with Gilead in all European countries.

This announcement builds on the existing alliance between the two companies who work in partnership to sell Atripla in the US and Canada.

Earlier this year, BMS and Gilead Sciences received approval from Health Canada for their Atripla 600mg and 300mg.