Gilead, manufacturers of tenofovir, yesterday announced that it has acquired the troubled Triangle Pharmaceuticals and a promising portfolio of experimental anti-HIV and hepatitis B drugs.
The deal ends months of speculation about Triangle’s future, and in particular, the prospects for launch of FTC (Coviracil), a new nucleoside analogue that has completed Phase III trials.
Gilead’s first priority will be to obtain a license for Coviracil, and then to develop and license a co-formulation of tenofovir and FTC as a fixed dose, once a day tablet, the company said. Studies of amdoxovir, an HIV nucleoside analogue, and clevudine, a hepatitis B nucleoside analogue, will also continue. Amdoxovir (also known as DAPD) is active against multi-nucleoside resistant viruses in the test tube.
The deal also adds considerable strength to Gilead’s position in the hepatitis B market, where the company has already won approval for its hepatitis B drug adefovir (Hepsera) in the United States and European Union.