Gilead’s Truvada granted US priority review for HIV prevention

Gilead Sciences' drug Truvada is to be assessed by regulators in the US as a potential new treatment for reducing the risk of acquiring HIV infection.

The US Food and Drug Administration has accepted the company's supplemental new drug application and granted a six-month priority review for a new once-daily treatment Truvada regimen.

Should it receive approval, Truvada would become the first agent indicated for uninfected individuals to reduce the risk of being affected by the disease, with clinical studies having shown the potential efficacy of the drug for this purpose.

The product has been approved in the US for the treatment of HIV-1 infections since 2004 and is the most-prescribed antiretroviral treatment in this territory.

According to data from Gilead's 2011 financial report, published earlier this month, sales revenues for Truvada rose by eight percent last year, reaching a total of $2.88 billion (1.82 billion pounds).

Gilead cited demand for the product as a key driver of growth for the business as a whole.