Gilead and Tibotec to create combination HIV therapy

Gilead Sciences has signed a collaboration agreement with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals focusing on the creation of a new combination therapy option for HIV patients.

The licensing deal will centre on the development and commercialisation of a single-tablet regimen combining Tibotec's Prezista with Gilead's Emtriva, as well as the investigational agent GS 7340 and the pharmacoenhancer cobicistat.

Gilead will take responsibility for the formulation, manufacturing, registration and sale of the drug if it is approved, while Tibotec will retain rights to co-detail the product in certain markets.

It is thought that the combination treatment would offer a simpler and more convenient therapy option for HIV sufferers.

Dr Norbert Bischofberger, executive vice-president for research and development and chief scientific officer at Gilead Sciences, said: "This is the first time we are developing a protease inhibitor-containing single-tablet regimen and we're able to do that based on the small milligram size of GS 7340."

This comes after Gilead submitted a US regulatory filing last month for approval of Quad, another combination HIV treatment that includes elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate.