Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
A slow-burn win: Gilead and Tibotec's 2011 co-development of a Prezista-cobicistat-emtricitabine-GS 7340 single-tablet HIV regimen paid off with Symtuza's FDA approval on 17 July 2018, though financial terms of the original pact were never disclosed.
Outcome grade pending — assessed 5 years post-close.
Full analysis, sources & comparables →Tibotec: "We are excited to be able to study and develop PREZISTA with an alternative boosting agent in a combination product which has the potential to reduce…
POZ characterized the partnership as the first PI-containing complete STR program — meaningful progress on pill-burden reduction, made viable by GS…
FDA approval of Symtuza on 17 July 2018 confirmed the 2011 Gilead-Tibotec STR program delivered the first and only complete darunavir-based single-tablet…
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Gilead and Tibotec (J&J) finalized a co-development agreement for a single-tablet HIV regimen pairing Prezista with cobicistat, emtricitabine and GS 7340 (later TAF). Financial terms not disclosed; strategically significant HIV combo deal.
Assessment window: 10yr post-close.
32K US cases/yr
HIV-1 is a chronic retroviral infection that depletes CD4 T-cells and progresses to AIDS without treatment. Modern combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) suppresses viral replication and approaches normal life expectancy, but lifelong daily adherence is required, which makes pill-burden reduction and once-daily single-tablet regimens (STRs) the central commercial battleground.
At deal time (mid-2011), the STR market was dominated by Gilead's Atripla (efavirenz/FTC/TDF, Q1'11 sales $744.5M; https://www.genengnews.com/news/tibotec-and-gilead-partner-to-combine-hiv-1-drugs-into-single-tablet-formulation/), with Complera (rilpivirine/FTC/TDF) just FDA-approved in August 2011 and the Quad/Stribild (elvitegravir/cobi/FTC/TDF) in late-stage development. Janssen/Tibotec held the leading boosted protease inhibitor franchise with Prezista (darunavir) but had no STR vehicle. The Gilead-Tibotec co-development paired Prezista with cobicistat (Gilead's ritonavir-replacement boosting agent), emtricitabine, and GS 7340 — the lower-dose, more efficacious tenofovir prodrug later branded TAF. Strategically, this deal was the first PI-containing STR program ever, expanding STR positioning beyond NNRTI- and INSTI-anchored regimens and protecting Janssen's darunavir franchise from generic and INSTI erosion. The program ultimately delivered Symtuza (D/C/F/TAF), FDA-approved 17 July 2018. Competing PI-based regimens at launch included Reyataz (atazanavir, BMS) and the Kaletra family (lopinavir/ritonavir, AbbVie), neither single-tablet. Symtuza became the only complete darunavir STR, materially extending the commercial life of Prezista and locking Gilead's TAF/cobicistat backbone into the PI segment.
| Deal | Year | Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilead Sciences Inc. / Tibotec Pharmaceuticals (Janssen) (this deal) | 2011 | — | — |
| Gilead Sciences Inc. / Pharmasset Inc. | 2011 | $11.2B | 98 |
| Gilead Sciences Inc. / Triangle Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2002 | $464M | 96 |
| Gilead Sciences Inc. / CymaBay Therapeutics | 2024 | $4.4B | 76 |
| Gilead Sciences Inc. / Nurix Therapeutics Inc. | 2019 | $2.3B | 69 |
| Gilead Sciences Inc. / Immunomedics Inc. | 2020 | $21.0B | 68 |
| Gilead Sciences Inc. / Kite Pharma, Inc. | 2017 | $11.9B | 67 |
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