Coformulation of rilpivirine and Truvada HIV drugs will achieve sales of more than $2 billion in 2018

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, in 2018, the fixed dose coformulation of Tibotec's rilpivirine and Gilead's Truvada will achieve blockbuster sales of more than $2 billion in the HIV drug market in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

The Pharmacor finding from the topic entitled Human Immunodeficiency Virus reveals that, owing to its efficacy and favorable side effect profile, rilpivirine/Truvada is expected to be a key successor to the HIV market leader -- Bristol-Myers Squibb/Gilead's Atripla (efavirenz/tenofovir/emtricitabine). Interviewed experts indicate that the major drawbacks of Atripla, which generated more than $1.5 billion in sales in 2008, are the neuropsychiatric and lipid side effects of the agent's efavirenz component.

"Thought leaders we interviewed believe that if a coformulation of rilpivirine and Truvada shows efficacy that is at least equal to Atripla and maintains a cleaner side-effect profile, the drug will be poised to capture a significant share of early lines of therapy," said Decision Resources Director Danielle Drayton, Ph.D. "Assuming that Tibotec and Gilead are successful in developing a fixed-dose coformulation of rilpivirine and Truvada with a more favorable side-effect profile than that of Atripla's efavirenz component, we forecast the fixed-dose agent will become Atripla's successor and will generate blockbuster sales in 2018."

The report also finds that the emerging integrase inhibitor from Shionogi and GlaxoSmithKline, S/GSK-1349572, will provide formidable competition to Merck's Isentress and Gilead's elvitegravir/Quad (in development). Several early studies have shown S/GSK-1349572 to have favorable properties that will potentially differentiate it from other competitors such as Isentress and elvitegravir/Quad.