A U.S. patient with leukemia has become the first woman and the third person to date to be cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant from a donor who was naturally resistant to the virus that causes AIDS, researchers reported on February 15.
The prevailing theory about the Omicron variant is that it is going to rip through the population quickly and possibly burn out, marking the downside of the COVID-19 pandemic. But researchers are expressing concern about a subvariant of Omicron dubbed BA.2 that appears to be tearing through Denmark, just as the first Omicron wave subsided.
Merck’s HIV strategy took a major hit as a “very important” aspect, MK-8507, was paused in development after patients experienced a low white blood cell count. East coast neighbor Enanta is also feeling the sting of a failed program with HBV trials, as the Massachusetts biotech is dropping the oral hepatitis B virus RNA destabilizer EDP-721 after healthy participants experienced safety signals.
On June 5, the United States and the rest of the world marks a grim milestone – the 40th anniversary of the HIV epidemic. While the virus has taken the lives of an estimated 35 million people over the last 40 years, an end could be in sight as biopharma researchers continue to develop safe and effective new treatments, with an eye toward a potential cure.
Gilead Sciences Inc. announced that the company will donate Truvada for PrEP (emtricitabine 200 mg and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg tablets) to the U.S. CDC.
Gilead Sciences Inc. announced that the company is providing $17.6 million in grants to 30 organizations in the United States through the Gilead HIV Age Positively initiative.
The return on R&D investment for leading biopharmaceutical manufacturers fell to a nine-year low while the U.S. FDA approved a record-breaking amount of novel medicines during 2018.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc will actively look to buy early-stage assets and partner with companies, the drugmaker’s chief executive officer said.
More than 130,000 people were newly diagnosed with HIV last year in Eastern Europe – the highest rate ever for the region – while the number of new cases in Western Europe declined, global public health experts said.
The FDA approved Biktarvy, Gilead’s once-daily, triple-combo tablet for treating HIV infection, paving the way for the biotech company to capture more of the multibillion-dollar HIV drug market.
