GlaxoSmithKline plc (ADR) (NYSE:GSK)’s Chief Strategy Officer, David Redfern, said that the only enhancement left to make in the treatment of HIV is to find a permanent cure, Bloomberg reported. He is also the chairman of Viiv Healthcare, which is its HIV/AIDs division. A few days back, he said that there will not be much scope in HIV treatment in about two decades time from now. The company was one of the drug makers for the HIV treatment.
Retains Commitments
Significantly, GlaxoSmithKline plc (ADR) (NYSE:GSK) indicated that there is no change in its commitment towards HIV R&D. That only helped ViiV to be a success story generating revenue of approximately $2.5 billion last year. The division’s success was based on its approach, as well as, its commitment towards the R&D. Therefore, its retention of commitment is key to further study on the dreaded disease.
Interestingly, ViiV is co-owned by Shionogi, as well as, Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE). The division was particularly successful in the integrase inhibitor and Ticavay market. Together they had sales of about $467 million in the last year. The company’s Triumeq was seen as a big boon for the company apart from Triumeq, a three-in-one medication.
Big Rival
As far as GlaxoSmithKline plc (ADR) (NYSE:GSK) is concerned, Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) in the principle rival in the HIV treatment business. There are other big companies engaged in the making of drugs for the HIV treatment. That included AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV), Merck & Co. Inc., Ltd (NYSE:MRK) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ).
The reason was very simple. Viiv revenues were only a fraction of $10.3 billion revenue from HIV-related sales for Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD). Therefore, the success of ViiV failed to transform into revenue generation completely. However, that is not deterring Redfern from continuing the drug development simplified the dosing, as well as, improving the outcomes. Redfern believes GlaxoSmithKline plc (ADR) (NYSE:GSK) will take the expertise of ViiV. At the same time, the company is also ready to invest in a completely fresh therapeutic area.
GlaxoSmithKline plc. (GSK), incorporated on December 6, 1999, is a healthcare company that researches and develops pharmaceuticals, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. The Company operates in two segments: Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare. Its brands include Sensodyne, Panadol, Horlicks, Polident, Paradontax, Tums, ENO, NiQuitin/Nicorette, Abreva, Zovirax and Aquafresh. The Company has its presence in over 150 markets, a network of 84 manufacturing sites in 36 countries and research and development (R&D) centers in the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium and China. The Company owns the biological conjugation platform.
Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines
The Company’s Pharmaceuticals segment develops and makes medicines to treat a range of acute and chronic diseases. The Company engages in delivering products for respiratory disease and portfolio of mature products, such as Seretide/Advair, Ventolin and Flovent. It also includes Relvar/Breo Ellipta, which is an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and long-acting beta2 agonist (LABA) combination; Anoro Ellipta, which is a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) and LABA dual bronchodilator; Incruse Ellipta (LAMA), and Arnuity Ellipta (ICS). It has respiratory products in its pipeline, including mepolizumab, which is an investigational anti-IL5 monoclonal antibody, to treat severe eosinophilic asthma, and its closed triple combination treatment to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). GSK’s vaccines have a portfolio of over 30 paediatric, adolescent, adult travel vaccines. Its four Vaccines include Infanrix (diphtheria and tetanus), Hepatitis, Rotarix (rotavirus) and Synflorix (pneumonia).
The Company’s human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) business is managed through ViiV Healthcare, which is a specialist company in HIV that it owns, with Pfizer and Shionogi. ViiV Healthcare has various other antiretroviral medicines in clinical development, including cabotegravir. It also has a portfolio of other Pharmaceutical products for the treatment of conditions, such as lupus (Benlysta), benign prostatic hyperplasia (Avodart/Jalyn), type 2 diabetes and bacterial infections (Augmentin). Its other products include Tykerb/Tyverb, Votrient, Promacta/Revolade, Arzerra, Tafinlar and Mekinist. The GSK’s Established Products Portfolio (EPP) includes over 50 off-patent products, as well as its branded generics business and other local products.
Within respiratory, Anoro Ellipta, its once-daily medicine combining two bronchodilators, which is a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), and a long-acting beta2 agonist (LABA), which is a single inhaler, was approved in Europe for COPD. Incruse Ellipta, its monotherapy LAMA, was approved as a once-daily treatment for COPD, including chronic bronchitis or emphysema. Arnuity Ellipta, which is a once-daily inhaled corticosteroid medicine to treat asthma, was approved for asthma treatment. All these respiratory medicines are administered using its dry powder inhaler, Ellipta.
Mekinist, which is its MEK inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of BRAF mutant metastatic melanoma. This oral targeted therapy also received approval under the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) accelerated approval process, for use in combination with Tafinlar, a previously approved oral targeted therapy. This accelerated approval is contingent on the results of a Phase III trial, which is designed to evaluate the clinical benefits of the combination.
ViiV Healthcare gained EU approval for Tivicay (dolutegravir), which is an integrase inhibitor. Approval was also given for Triumeq, which is a single-pill regimen for the treatment of HIV, combining dolutegravir with the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) abacavir and lamivudine. Tanzeum, which is a new GLP-1 treatment for type 2 diabetes, received approval offering a once-weekly injectable option for patients. The same product, under the name Eperzan, was also approved. The Company has submitted a regulatory file to the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA), for a variation to the marketing authorisation for Volibris, which is its medicine for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to include its use in initial combination therapy in PAH patients.
Consumer Healthcare
The Company’s Consumer Healthcare business develops and markets products in four categories, such as wellness, oral health, nutrition and skin health. The segment’s Wellness category focuses on pain management, respiratory health, gastrointestinal health and smokers’ health. Panadol is the paracetamol brand and Tums is the antacid brand. It is a specialist in oral health, with brands, including Sensitivity (Sensodyne), Acid Erosion (Pronamel), Denture Care and Gum Health. In Nutrition, its Horlicks brand is the nutritional supplement in the Indian subcontinent. Its Skin health brands include Abreva and Zovirax. Its brands are available in over 100 countries.
The Company competes with AbbVie, Amgen, Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Roche Holdings, Sanofi, Takeda, Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and Reckitt Benckiser.
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