Gilead challenges GSK with strong HIV drug data

Gilead Sciences has thrown down a challenge to GlaxoSmithKline with good clinical trial results for an experimental HIV drug that works in the same way as the British group's successful dolutegravir. Gilead's bictegravir, another so-called integrase inhibitor drug, delivered 97 percent virus suppression, making it just as effective as GSK's product, data presented at a medical meeting in Seattle late on Monday showed. Importantly, there were no cases of resistance emerging to the new medicine in the 98-patient Phase II study and no patients discontinued treatment due to kidney problems, which can be an issue with HIV treatments.