Gilead Sciences yesterday said that a second combination of three already-marketed anti-HIV drugs, Truvada (emtricitabine plus tenofovir disoproxil) plus Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Sustiva, failed to show equivalent benefit to the two offerings given alone.

Earlier this year, the company was hit after a first formulation of the triple therapy failed because Sustiva, when given as part of a combined pill, did not achieve the same medication level in the blood compared to a dose of B-MS' drug given alone [[28/04/05f]]. At the time, Gilead said it would reformulate its offering, and still hoped to file for US Food and Drug Administration approval of the once-daily medicine later on this year, but this target is now pushed back to the first half of 2006.

Gilead is proceeding with the evaluation of up to three new formulations, developed using technology that piece layers of the individual ingredients together in one tablet.