With J&J’s Departure From HCV, Gilead Stands Alone In ‘Nuc’ Field

And then there was one. Merck & Co. Inc. de-emphasized development of its experimental nucleoside polymerase inhibitor for hepatitis C earlier this year, so with Johnson & Johnson’s Sept. 11 decision to exit HCV drug development, the last "nuc” that could have provided competition to Gilead Sciences Inc.’s sofosbuvir-driven dominance likely has reached a standstill.

Despite promising Phase II data indicating potential for a six-week duration of treatment with a three-drug combination that included the nuc AL-335, J&J said it will move away from HCV drug development due to the efficacy of what’s already available to patients. With the pharma’s announcement Sept