ViiV Healthcare And Janssen Collaborate On HIV Drug Combo
GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer’s global specialist HIV company ViiV Healthcare announced that it has entered into collaboration with Janssen R&D Ireland to develop a drug combination targeting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The collaboration will work on a single tablet combining Tivicay (dolutegravir) and Janssen's Edurant (rilpivirine), a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Tivicay is an HIV-1 integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) used in combination with other antiretroviral agents. Edurant is a once a day tablet indicated in combination with other antivirals for the treatment of HIV.
Dr. John Pottage, CMO of ViiV Healthcare, said, “New options that advance current therapies are increasingly important as patients and clinicians consider HIV care over the long term. Through this collaboration with Janssen we aim to develop a new combination therapy that meets the needs of patients, and adds to our scientific understanding of dolutegravir.”
The partnership is ViiV Healthcare’s first external collaboration to develop a single-tablet regimen with another company’s product. Under the terms of the agreement, the two partners will investigate the safety and efficacy of the single-tablet regimen as an HIV maintenance therapy for patients already virally suppressed on a triple drug regimen. A pediatric dose formulation of dolutegravir and rilpivirine combo will also be studied. Lack of palatable and safe drugs for pediatric use is among the barriers that affect the approximately 3.3 million children living with HIV around the world, the company said.
Dr. Dominique Limet, CEO of ViiV Healthcare, said, “This collaboration builds on our mission to continually develop innovative new solutions to provide people living with HIV new treatment options.”
If approved, the fixed-dose combination treatment could offer patients with HIV a two drug nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI)-sparing combination instead of a standard triple drug therapy. Studies for the HIV combination therapy will start by the first quarter of 2015.