In the news ... 2008

Roche no longer to develop new HIV drugs

by Paul Datlon, July 9, 2008

Roche Pharmaceuticals has announced that it will no longer try and develop new HIV treatments. The Swiss drug giant made this announcement in a French-language press release which has been translated and widely circulated on email lists.

Roche claims that its decision came when its evaluation of its pre-clinical HIV drugs showed that they were unlikely to result in substantial improvements over existing treatments. The company says it will continue to look at drugs developed by other companies with an eye towards the kind of partnership they had with Trimeris in bringing Fuzeon (enfuvirtide) to market.

Roche’s decision is a setback for people living with HIV. As Project Inform recently wrote about, the HIV drug development pipeline is thin and unimpressive. GlaxoSmithKline recently announced a company-wide cut back in new drug research and development, although they claim it will not affect their HIV program. Earlier in the year, Trimeris, Roche’s erstwhile partners, announced that they were shuttering their new drug development program to focus all of their resources on their second-generation fusion inhibitor TRI-1144.

Prior to this decision, Roche was working on a CCR5 inhibitor, along with other targets. It is likely that slow initial sales of Pfizer’s CCR5 drug, Selzentry (maraviroc) was a factor in Roche’s decision.

More broadly, there seems to be a growing sense of complacency industry-wide toward HIV drug development. This is based somewhat on the notion that the HIV market is crowded and competitive, with little real room for new drugs.

This assumption, while understandable, is faulty. While there are over two dozen approved HIV drugs in the US, far fewer are widely used. Although initial sales of drugs like Selzentry might not have met company expectations, good research and a better understanding of how to use it, and other new treatments will likely lead to more widespread use. Add to this a growing trend toward earlier treatment for HIV, and the stubbornly high rate of new HIV infections in the US and worldwide, and it is clear that the need for new, good HIV drugs is still there and will be for some time.

Project Inform is disappointed with Roche’s shortsighted decision, and hopes that other companies don’t make the same mistake. While the treatment landscape is much improved, there is both a need and space for new HIV treatments. We will continue to work hard to ensure new treatments are identified and developed, while at the same time supporting efforts to reduce new infections and, most importantly find a cure.