GSK losing its grip on HIV market

Watch out, GlaxoSmithKline. The market for HIV drugs may be expanding, but it's shifting like the San Andreas Fault at the same time, and more than a handful of companies are poised to challenge GSK for dominance.

For years, GSK has been the "undisputed king" of the $8 billion HIV treatment market. But its portfolio of drugs is aging, and will gradually lose patent protection over the next decade. The company's HIV sales dropped by 1 percent to $2.2 billion during the first nine months of this year, as its top-selling Combivir faltered.

Ready to strike are Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences, with combo drugs like Atripla [1] and Truvada, relatively new-to-market products that nonetheless brought in some $650 million and $1.1 billion respectively during the first nine months of 2007. And then there's Merck with its brand-new Isentress [2], Pfizer and its fledgling Selzentry, and Johnson & Johnson with Prezista. And more new HIV remedies are on their way.

- check out this CNN Money report [3]

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