GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer announced on Tuesday the official launch of ViiV Healthcare, their collaboration specialising in treatments for patients with HIV. The new company's CEO, Dominique Limet, explained that "our R&D efforts, strategic partnerships and licensing opportunities will be focused on delivering medications that help address resistance issues and dosing complexity."

The creation of ViiV, which was initially announced in April, will result in a company with 10 drugs on the market that had combined 2008 sales of 1.6 billion pounds ($2.6 billion). Limet remarked that Pfizer's Selzentry/Celsentri (maraviroc) "will be a key driver and lever for our growth. It will allow us to maintain our competitiveness and stabilise, hopefully, over time our market share in front of Gilead."

ViiV's pipeline consists of "seven innovative and targeted medicines, including five compounds in Phase II development," GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer added. Limet commented that a late-stage integrase inhibitor development programme is an example of some "exciting" new drugs in its pipeline. In addition, the CEO noted that ViiV "would be pursuing 'multiple' strategies to develop this existing business and to deliver new growth opportunities, including geographic expansion, new collaborations and business development activities."

Reference Articles

Interview - New Glaxo, Pfizer company battles Gilead in HIV - (Forbes)

ViiV Healthcare launches: A new specialist HIV company dedicated to delivering advances in HIV treatment and care - (GlaxoSmithKline)

GlaxoSmithKline launches specialist HIV company - (SmartMoney)

Drug firms' collaboration pools HIV treatments - (The Independent)

GSK, Pfizer launch HIV company - (Triangle Business Journal)