The HIV space is buzzing over the potential of long-acting antivirals in the gruelling fight against the disease. 

Last year, Gilead released landmark data for once-yearly drug lecanapavir, which prevented HIV infection in 100% of the 2,000 cisgender women who participated in the phase 3 trial. 

But GSK’s ViiV Healthcare is also racing to stake a claim in the market for long-acting treatments. At a conference this week, the pair touted data for multiple twice-yearly candidates showing tolerability and a reduction in viral load in mid-stage studies. The companies plan to evaluate which combinations or formulation of the treatments to advance into pivotal trials as early as 2027. 

While infectious disease R&D remains a mainstay at GSK, the company’s future could belong to other therapeutic areas. And as it prepares for the next wave of innovations, GSK is dipping its toes into the burgeoning omics space. 

A few months ago, the company inked a deal with Muna Therapeutics that will leverage a platform based on spatial transcriptomics to hunt for Alzheimer’s disease targets.

The matchup is one of several moves made by Big Pharma in recent months aimed at bolstering drug discovery using a type of omics — a topic we’re exploring today through a look at Takeda Pharmaceutical’s expanded research collaboration with BridGene Biosciences. 

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