SWORD Data Sharpen Commercial Appetite For ViiV’s Juluca, But Is It Too Little Too Late?

ViiV Healthcare has published results from the first long-term Phase III study for switching from a three-drug combination, to an oral two-drug combination. It disproves resistance and safety fears that have hampered prescriber comfort, however, it may have to dampen its sales ambitions when ViiV’s soon-to-be-approved combo Tivicay/Epivir comes to market.

Swords — Juluca gets ready to see more commercial action after SWORD data published • Source: Shutterstock

ViiV Healthcare has published incremental data from a three-year study of its one-pill, two-drug product for HIV, Juluca, that it hopes will provide the reassurance over long-term patient resistance and help to take a small nibble out of the single-treatment regimen (STR) market dominated by Gilead Sciences Inc.’s Biktarvy and Johnson & Johnson's Symtuza.

Results from the SWORD 1 and 2 studies show that 84% of participants who switched from their current three- or...