Idenix Pharmaceuticals (IDIX)

[DewDiligence]

GILD will cease promotion of Hepsera as soon as Viread is approved for HBV. This was confirmed on GILD’s 2Q07 CC last week.

Sorry, gofish, you really were out to lunch for suggesting in msg #1402 that both Hepsera and Viread will play significant roles in the treatment of HBV:

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Although I expect tenofovir to displace adefovir as monotherapy, I wouldn't be surprised if [adefovir] hangs on as a player in combos, at a lower price point…
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Your analysis is backward: it is in monotherapy where Hepsera will hang on for a while because patients who are stable on Hepsera monotherapy will stay on it until they have a viral breakthrough. However, there will be essentially zero patient starts on Hepsera—as either monotherapy or combination therapy—once Viread is commercially available in a given jurisdiction.

And for the second or third time (I lost count), let me remind you that Hepsera is not cheaper than Viread—it is 25% more expensive and GILD has no intention of lowering the Hepsera price. Viread, on the other hand, is comparatively cheap because GILD prices it for the HIV market and will sell it for the same price when it is used for HBV.