Ahead of the Bell: Merck HIV drug |
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Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:53
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Merck & Co. is expected to receive approval to market a first-of-kind HIV drug as early as Friday.The Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to make a decision on the company's drug Isentress to treat HIV patients who have developed a resistance to other medications. Physicians often prescribe a 'cocktail' of several HIV drugs to fight the virus because it changes very rapidly.A panel of outside advisers unanimously recommended FDA rapidly approve the drug at a meeting last month.The Merck drug targets integrase, one of three enzymes used by the virus to reproduce and infect cells. The FDA previously has approved drugs that target the two other enzymes.Despite Isentress' innovative HIV-fighting mechanism, the drug could have trouble reaching blockbuster sales. Like most HIV therapies approved in recent years, Isentress will serve as a second-line therapy for patients who have stopped responding to older, more established drugs.BMO Capital Markets Robert Hazlett predicts sales of $400 million next year and peaking $950 million by 2010. By comparison, Gilead Science's market-leading drug Truvada posted sales of $1.1 billion last year. Gilead is also expected to have a drug similar to Isentress on the market by the end of the decade.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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