Gilead to develop combo cobicistat and Prezista AIDS drug with J&J unit Tibotec

US biotech firm Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) has entered into a license agreement with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, an Ireland-based subsidiary of US health care giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) for the development and commercialization of a new fixed-dose antiretroviral combination product containing Gilead's cobicistat and Tibotec's protease inhibitor Prezista (darunavir).

Cobicistat is an investigational pharmacoenhancing or "boosting" agent that increases
blood levels of certain HIV medicines to allow for once-daily dosing. Prezista is indicated in the USA for the treatment of HIV-infected individuals and is co-administered with ritonavir in
combination with other antiretroviral agents.

"Cobicistat's formulation and clinical profile provides us with the flexibility to co-formulate and develop new combination products, including the potential to co-formulate with protease inhibitors such as Prezista," said Norbert Bischofberger, Gilead's executive vice president, R&D and chief scientific officer, adding: "This agreement represents another important step forward in our commitment to developing simplified treatment regimens that can help address the individual needs of people living with HIV."