Replies to post #105752 on Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

Why do you think a PI has to be part of the combo?

I didn’t say it did; rather, I said Roche evidently thinks a PI is needed and the rest of the industry (except VRUS) appears to agree.

What is wrong with a two-nuke/non-nuke combo or a two-nuke/NS5A inhibitor?

A 3-drug cocktail consisting of a nuke/nuke/NS5A or nuke/nuke/non-nuke might work; what I think is unlikely to work is VRUS’ idea of a 2-drug cocktail consisting of only nukes.

[mcbio]

If the problem with the IDIX's 184/320 combo turns out to be a problem with the PI (320) and the way that it interacts with other anti-viral agents, then how do we know for sure that this is not a class-wide effect and will not happen again with other powerful PI's when used in combo with other types of anti-viral agents?

While one can't rule out anything at this stage, I'll venture a guess that the side effects are due to a drug-specific issue and not a class-wide issue. For some early evidence of this, look at the results recently presented for BMY's PI/NS5A combo (#msg-55118600). There were no safety issues from this HCV DAA combo involving a PI.