Well that's the company line anyway. The problem with the HCV side of things is that the nS5a and ns5b inhibitor combinations appear to do the job in almost all patients without significant side effects, there is multitude of these in advanced stages of development, and not an obvious strong incentive to look at relatively low potency drugs with questionable GI tolerability such as BIT225. Unique modes of action aren't really a drawcard if the modes of action you already have do a good job. The concern I'd have for BIT225 in HIV is that that is an area going through another explosion of new drug development, and I suspect that viral reservoirs are the target for many of these - Biotron appears insufficiently funded to keep up with the likes of Gilead. Interestingly, the pricing of Sovaldi and Harvoni is not as ridiculous as you may think. It appears that there's been quite a bit of science behind the pricing structure, and cost-effectiveness evaluation both in Europe and the US show that even at the current prices they are more cost-effective than PEG/riba +/- TVR or BOC, due to the fact the cure rates are so high, the courses so short, the markedly reduced monitoring required and the absence of hospitalisations for complications. The problem for publicly funded health systems where it's clear who has to pay for such drugs (the tax payer), is that these new combinations pose disproportionate burden because such a high proportion of patients can be treated as opposed to the small minority who are currently eligible due to the side effects. Competition will bring the prices down as each new combination hits the market but that may take a while to benefit the majority of HCV patients. Glad you're in the black, hope you stay there (though I think you should sell some above 13c!)
BIT Price at posting:
13.0¢ Sentiment: Sell Disclosure: Not Held
