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Boehringer/Medivir: Filling Gaps, Spreading Risk

Boehringer Ingelheim's generous deal with Medivir for the Swedish group's Phase II HIV compound reflects Boehringer's need to fill a gap in its HIV portfolio. It's also the latest illustration of Medivir's growing deal making wisdom. The biotech spreads risk through adding a third HIV licensing partner alongside Roche and GSK. And by holding on to Nordic marketing rights, Medivir is more likely to stay involved in development decisions.

"Companies will pay a lot for an HIV compound that complements what they already have in their portfolio," observed Medivir AB 's VP, Pharmaceutical Development Johan Harmenberg, MD, PhD, during an interview in June 2003. He had some reason for confidence: his firm was, at the time, in discussions with Boehringer Ingelheim GMBH on its Phase II HIV candidate, alovudine, the Swedish biotech's only un-partnered HIV compound. Without a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) like alovudine, Boehringer's own one-product franchise was at a distinct disadvantage to competitors whose multi-drug/multi-action portfolios could address viral resistance in ways Boehringer simply couldn't.

NRTIs such as GlaxoSmithKline PLC's zidovudine (Retrovir/AZT) and lamivudine (Epivir) are just one class of drugs used to fight HIV. Other key groups include non-NRTIs (NNRTIs), such as Bristol-Myers...

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