Monday, August 15, 2011

Gilead's HIV-fighting Quad pill effective in Phase III trial

Gilead Sciences’ four-in-one HIV treatment was more effective than its three-in-one tablet in a late-stage study of patients new to a drug regimen to combat the AIDS virus.
However, the Foster City-based company’s stock traded lower, presumably because the company didn’t release deeper safety data from the Phase III trial.
The so-called Quad pill combines four Gilead compounds in a once-a-day tablet. The drugs are emtricitabine and tenofovir — combined in Gilead’s Truvada and as two of the three drugs in Gilead’s Atripla — along with an experimental drug, elvitegravir, and a new boosting agent, cobicistat.
The Quad pill’s ease of use, effectiveness and safety are key to Gilead (NASDAQ: GILD) winning approval from the Food and Drug Administration and holding on to its position as the top developer of HIV treatments. It could offer an alternative to people who can’t tolerate Atripla.

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