ViiV’s long-acting HIV injection has proven to be as effective as daily pills at controlling AIDS, according to the company. The injection of two drugs is administered monthly, as opposed to treatments that require three pills taken daily. GSK, the majority owner of ViiV, hopes the drug will help it better compete with Gilead, which makes HIV-prevention drug PrEP, among other HIV treatments. (Reuters)
There’s more movement at the top of Gilead as its chief medical officer departs. Andrew Cheng was named medical chief in March after 19 years with the company. Gilead also created the role of chief patient officer, which it filled with international operations and corporate affairs EVP Gregg Alton. Other recent departures include its CEO, executive chairman, and R&D chief. (Endpoints)
Express Scripts is in talks with pharma companies to exclusively sell their most expensive drugs. The PBM is in negotiations with Biomarin Pharmaceutical, Spark Therapeutics, and Bluebird Bio to distribute their forthcoming hemophilia drugs, which are expected to cost more than $1 million. The treatments would be distributed through its specialty pharmacy business, separate from its benefits management unit. Express Scripts has similar deals with Spark, Biogen, and Novartis. (Reuters)
Google parent company Alphabet has invested more in health-insurance startup Oscar. The tech giant poured another $375 million into Oscar months after two Alphabet subsidiaries invested $160 million, reportedly bringing Alphabet’s ownership stake to 10%. Oscar’s CEO said the cash infusion could help it expand to more cities and into Medicare Advantage plans. (Fortune)
Drugmakers reported record spending of $71.4 billion on R&D last year. The proportion of sales spent on R&D spending also rose to 21.4%, according to a survey from PhRMA. The report comes as drugmakers are under pressure to cut costs. (BioPharma Dive)