Gilead has long been known for its HIV drugs, further delving into the field by obtaining research vaccines against stubborn viruses from a little-known biotechnology company in Spain.

Gilead is paying an undisclosed amount to purchase the HTI T-cell immunogenic HIV vaccine from Aelix Therapeutics, a Barcelona based company that is a spin off of the Catalan public-private partnership program aimed at finding a vaccine for the virus. The two companies refused to disclose the terms of the transaction.

In the over 40 year history of the HIV pandemic, vaccines have never crossed the regulatory finish line, which has always puzzled researchers and pharmaceutical companies. There are many treatment methods, and effective preventive measures such as PrEP also exist, but vaccines are still elusive because HIV can quietly evade the immune system's reservoir. Johnson&Johnson suffered two mid to late stage failures in 2021 and 2023.

Gilead is acquiring experimental HIV vaccine assets from Aelix, which has included the plan in Phase 2a. This startup company tested its T-cell vaccine ChAdOx1.HTI and MVA. HTI and Gilead's toll like receptor agonist (called vesatolimod) are used together for HIV infected individuals undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART).

The Phase 2a study named AEL IX-003 will end at the end of 2022. Researchers stated that according to a report presented at the conference on retroviruses and opportunistic infections in February 2023, the protocol is "safe and well tolerated" with "high levels of HTI specific T cell response".

In addition, 10 out of 30 AELIX-003 participants who received the vaccine vesatolimod regimen were able to discontinue ART within 24 weeks. According to a press release, 4 out of 17 participants in the placebo group were able to achieve this.

Aelix Chairman Thomas Hecht said in a statement on Monday: "The HTI vaccine has shown promising results in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials, and we are eager to see this immunogen move forward through this acquisition and potentially become an important aspect in finding HIV treatment options.

The impact of this epidemic is still profound, and vaccines are seen as the key method to ultimately end it. As of the end of 2023, there were approximately 39.9 million HIV infected individuals, with an additional 1.3 million new cases reported that year. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 630000 people died from HIV related causes last year.

HIV drugs are a core component of Gilead's product portfolio. Its HIV drugs (including Biktarvy and Descovy) generated revenue of $5.1 billion in the third quarter, accounting for approximately 68% of the company's total sales for the same period. But advocates are calling for more people to access the manufacturer's treatment and PrEP drugs, which they believe are too expensive and difficult to obtain.

Earlier this year, this California biopharmaceutical company made international headlines by stating that its twice yearly injection of lenacapavir completely prevented HIV in cisgender women. The vaccine achieved success in another key trial in September.

Gilead is also working on multiple other projects, including long-acting oral inhibitors and injections, bispecific T cell conjugates, and weekly pills. Two companies announced last month that this pill is a combination of Lenacapavir and Merck's islatravir, and is entering two Phase 3 trials. Gilead can also choose to join projects at Gritstone bio and Hookipa Pharma.

About Aelix Therapeutics
Aelix is derived from HIVACAT, a Catalan project focusing on HIV vaccine, involving the IrsiCaixa AIDS Institute and the Barcelona Clinic. Companies such as Ysios Capital and 10K Lakes Capital have supported Aelix.

Regarding Gilead's HIV medication
On February 6, 2024, Gilead released its 2023 financial report, with the annual revenue of 26.9 billion US dollars, the same as that of 2022. Excluding the impact of remdesivir, the product revenue increased by 7% year on year. From a product perspective, HIV drug sales amounted to $18.175 billion, of which Biktarvy had sales of $11.85 billion.

Source: https://pharm.jgvogel.cn/c1466524.shtml

责编: editor