吉利德丙肝药物统治地位正面临巨大威胁

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吉利德（Gilead）公司在丙肝治疗市场已奠定了其统治地位。这一地位得益于该公司的丙肝治疗药物Sovaldi——一种对多种亚型HCV病毒都有抑制效果的药物。随后公司的新一代全口服丙肝鸡尾酒药Harvoni，更是让吉利德公司在丙肝治疗市场如日中天。

去年，这2个丙肝治疗药物给吉利德带来了124亿美元的销售额。但是，最近吉利德在丙肝市场的份额可能会受到新的竞争对手Achillion制药公司的威胁。Achillion制药公司是一家小型生物技术公司，其目前也正在开发丙肝治疗药物——期望能以更短的疗程治愈丙肝患者。

据估计，目前全球丙肝感染者已超过1.5亿人。如此庞大的患者群体再加上罹患肝癌死亡的危险，其中的药物市场价值显而易见，而这也使得几乎所有制药公司都将丙肝治疗市场当成了一块“香饽饽”。吉利德王朝统治面临的威胁不仅仅来自Achillion，美国制药巨头默沙东（Merck & Co）也在一旁虎视眈眈，据悉该公司最近也在开发一种新型丙肝药物。

Achillion公司的威胁主要是ACH-3102，该丙肝药物目前已进入II期临床试验。Achillion公司去年报告称，使用ACH-3102/Sovaldi鸡尾酒疗法进行为期8周的治疗，对患者实现了100%的治愈率。在公司二月份的一份报告中更是将疗程缩短到了6周而实现100%治愈。Achillion公司目前正在进行4周疗程的疗效研究。如果试验成功，那么ACH-3102/Sovaldi鸡尾酒疗法将会成为丙肝治疗疗程最短的药物。

此外，Achillion也正在测试ACH-3102与其他丙肝药物的组合效果，其中包括其公司的另一种丙肝药物ACH-3422。业界正拭目以待Achillion公司能否再次带来令人振奋的治疗数据，同时也在评估成功后是否会对吉利德统治带来严重威胁。

当然，吉利德的统治地位不会立刻面临威胁。Achillion公司也可能只是昙花一现，毕竟Achillion还需要数年的时间才能将其丙肝药物推向市场。此外，Achillion目前进行的临床试验中，仅仅只有十多个患者，这也使得Achillion可能无法进行到将药物推向市场的阶段。患者数量太少，无法对药物疗效进行正确评价。同时，ACH-3102/ACH-3422组合能否带来跟ACH-3102/Sovaldi组合一样的疗效也是个未知数。吉利德也并非坐以待毙，目前正在开发一款新组合丙肝药物GS5816/Sovaldi。

巴克莱（Barclay）分析师在三月五号的一份报告中指出，Achillion想在丙肝治疗市场中脱颖而出的机会很低。换句话说，Barclay分析师认为Achillion是在进行一场豪赌。不管怎样，Achillion公司的股价在过去的一年里如吃了春药般狂涨214.7%。但是从今年起，Achillion公司的股价就变得萎靡不振，市值已下跌18.5%。

群雄逐鹿，谁主沉浮，于我何哉，国人无药，痛之甚也。

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Does Gilead Sciences, Inc. Face Imminent Threat From Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.?
Gilead’s dominance in the hepatitis C market may not be in any immediate danger. The company, nonetheless, will need to be on its toes when it comes to thwarting competition in the hepatitis C space

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By: HANNAH ISHMAEL

Published: Apr 2, 2015 at 8:05 am EST

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) has established itself as a leader in the hepatitis C market, thanks to the successful launch of its hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, which can be used to treat different genotypes of the virus. Sovaldi’s launch was later followed by a newer, more advanced version of the drug named Harvoni.

The company raked in sales of $12.4 billion last year; however, there is speculation that Gilead's revenue share in the hepatitis C market may be threatened by a relatively new entrant in the market by the name of Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHN). It is a small biotech company that is also working on a hepatitis C drug, which could reduce the time taken for patients to recover from the disease.

Hepatitis C impacts over 150 million people across the world, and because of the sheer size of the patient population and the fact that this disease can cause fatality in patients, it is no surprise that a cure for this disease is something that all drug-makers want to lay their hands on. Gilead may face competition not only from Achillion, but also from companies such as Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK), which is also working on its own version of a hepatitis C drug.

Achillion's most advanced hepatitis C drug is ACH-3102, which is currently undergoing Phase II trials. The company reported last year that it was able to see a 100% cure rate in the patients who took the pill in combination with Sovaldi, in a matter of eight weeks. The drug-maker reported past February that Sovaldi and ACH-3102 combination cured 100% of patients upon six weeks of therapy. The company is now studying the effectiveness of the drug when it is taken for four weeks. The trial, if successful, would mean that the company's drug could be the shortest treatment plan to cure hepatitis C in patients.

Moreover, Achillion is also trying to test the efficacy of ACH-3102 when used with potential alternatives for Sovaldi, including an in-house option by the name of ACH-3422. Investors will certainly have to wait it out to see whether Achillion is able to deliver the same results, and, if so, whether it will pose a serious threat to Gilead's dominance.

However, it could take years for Achillion to launch a therapy into the market. There is also the possibility of the drug never reaching the marketing stage as up until now, the company has only run trials involving a dozen patients. As per most experts, the number is too small for a conclusion on the drug's efficacy. There's also little data proving that ACH-3422 could yield results as potent as the ACH-3102 and Sovaldi combination. Furthermore, Achillion’s efforts to beat Gilead may be thwarted by the fact that Gilead is also developing cutting-edge follow-up hepatitis C therapies. The company is expected to launch a new drug for hepatitis C, one that will utilize GS5816 alongside sofosbuvir by 2016.

Barclays' analysts wrote in a report on March 5, 2015 that they see little opportunity for Achillion to meaningfully differentiate itself in the hepatitis C market. In other words, Barclays views investment in Achillion as a risky bet. The company, nonetheless, has seen its stock price increase 214.7% in the past 12 months. The stock price gains, however, have been in the negative so far this year, with Achillion losing 18.5% of its value to now be worth $10.01 apiece.

http://www.bidnessetc.com/38648-does-gilead-sciences-inc-face-imminent-threat-from-achillion-pharmaceutical/