In 1981, the first incidence of HIV was recorded. In March 1987, six years after the first incidence, the US FDA approved the earliest drug for treating AIDS. This drug was called zidovudine (azidothymidine). Fast forward to today, and the treatment options for HIV are diverse and comprise several classes of drugs.
The remarkable evolution of the HIV treatment market consistently saw the introduction of many changes. These changes included — preference of STRs (single-tablet regimens) over MTRs (multiple tablet regimens), the replacement of TDF (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)-based therapies with TAF (tenofovir alafenamide)-based therapies, the approval of Cabenuva (Vocabria + Rekambys), and the usage of INSTIs (integrase strand transfer inhibitors) becoming more common than other classes of drugs, thus signifying the dawn of long-acting therapies.
The HIV-1 therapeutics market is dynamic and is influenced by several factors. One such factor is the contribution of lead companies in the HIV-1 therapy market. Gilead Sciences leads the HIV-1 market with approximately 68% of the total HIV-1 market share by owning five of the seven blockbuster drugs in the US. Its closest rival — ViiV Healthcare, has a 21% market share and owns two of these seven blockbuster drugs.
The preferences in the usage of STRs over MTRs are another notable factor. The concept of MTRs (multiple treatment regimens) saw patients taking a daily intake of many drug products containing different active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) until recently. It had common problems like low treatment adherence and patient compliance. These problems were addressed by STRs (single treatment regimens) upon their introduction. STR uses a combination of two or more antiretroviral drugs that belong to more than one drug class in a single drug product.
Other factors like the rise of long-acting regimens and integrase inhibitor-based therapies, the emergence of TAF-based treatments, and emerging HIV-1 treatment therapies have their fair share of effects on the HIV treatment market.
This decade could see the HIV-1 treatment market exhibit steady growth due to the availability of additional treatment options for patients in the future. Various emerging therapies in the final stages of their clinical development might soon get approval, leading to an influx in treatment options.
