For HIV drugmakers, two heads are better than one -- especially if it can halve the number of pills a patient has to take.
The latest two to hook up are Gilead Sciences
Johnson & Johnson is testing TMC278 in phase 3 trials in combination with Truvada, so the partnership shouldn't come as much of a shock to anyone. Gilead will take the lead in getting the combo drug approved and the companies will combine efforts to market it.
It's a bit of a gamble to start development without an approval for TMC278, but presumably Gilead knows what it's doing; this isn't the first hook up for the HIV specialist. Gilead currently sells Atripla, a combination of Truvada and Bristol-Myers Squibb's
Gilead isn't the only one that thinks two virus killers are better than one. In April, GlaxoSmithKline
Sit back, have a cocktail of your own, and enjoy the show; the competition for HIV patients is just heating up.
A cocktail of Foolishness:
- The market can't ignore these stocks forever.
- Stupid investments still abound.
- Options have multibagger potential -- at a price.