Tibotec unveils results of experimental HIV drug

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) unit Tibotec Pharmaceuticals has reported results from two pivotal Phase III trials comparing its investigational non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor TMC278 (rilpivirine) with efavirenz. Each drug was administered once daily with a nucleoside/nucleotide background regimen in treatment-naive, HIV-1-infected adults. And while the experimental HIV drug worked as well as efavirenz with fewer side effects, almost twice as many...

Sanofi’s rumored buyout plans inspire guessing game

The scuttlebutt from Bloomberg late last week about Sanofi-Aventis' interest in acquiring an unidentified drug developer in the pricey neighborhood of $20 billion has triggered a fevered new game of name-the-target. For its part, the Wall Street Journal's Michael Corkery ran a slate of five potential developers that fit the general profile: Genzyme ($13 billion market cap); Biogen Idec ($13 billion); Celgene ($23 billion); Gilead Sciences and Amgen. With a market cap of $50 billion,...

Gilead to buy CGI Pharm for $120M

Gilead Sciences will pay up to $120 million to purchase Branford, CT-based CGI Pharmaceuticals, a private developer focused on small molecule chemistry and kinase biology. The company's lead compound is in preclinical testing for the treatment of serious inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. The majority of Gilead's $120 million will come as an upfront payment, with the remainder based on clinical development of drug targets. The deal is expected to close in the...

Safety concerns force Gilead to halt mid-stage hep C trial

Gilead (NASDAQ: GILD) has slammed the brakes on a mid-stage clinical trial of an experimental therapy for hepatitis C after it picked up "reports of significant laboratory abnormalities and adverse events in a number of clinical study participants." The company announced yesterday evening that it had decided to halt the study and assess the data on GS-9450. But aside from a terse statement, there was precious little information to glean about the program. A spokesperson for the Foster City,...