GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said Monday its human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment Triumeq topped the list of HIV drug sales list for the second quarter of this year, taking up 21 percent of the overall HIV market.

Triumeq (ingredient: abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine) is a single-tablet HIV treatment regimen that contains one integrase inhibitor and two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The drug gained U.S. FDA approval in August 2014.

Integrase inhibitors, currently recommended as the first-line treatment for HIV in U.S. and European guidelines, accounted for around 60 percent of the total domestic market. Of the 60 percent, Triumeq took up about 34 percent, the company said.

The news comes as a boon to GSK which has been playing second fiddle to Gilead in the Korean HIV market. Gilead has been the market leader with Stribild, and is increasing promotion and switching to Genvoya (ingredient: elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide), a one-pill drug proven to have fewer side effects than the former.

GSK's HIV division has maintained a double-digit growth rate since it launched Triumeq two years ago in November 2015 to finally reach top sales in the HIV market in the second quarter, the company said.

Triumeq demonstrated superior virus control and tolerability profiles in comparative clinical trials against other “standard” drugs such as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), protease inhibitors (PI) and integrase inhibitors (INI), the company said.

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"The HIV therapeutic market is one of the fastest and most competitive areas for new drug development and the clinical efficacy of Triumeq, proven through clinical outcomes, has also been verified in [real life] clinical practice,” said GSK Korea CEO Hong Yoo-suk. “GSK remains committed to developing HIV therapeutics that meets the needs of patients since it developed the world’s first HIV therapies. We will continue to work to improve the quality of life for HIV patients.”

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