Gilead's off-the-shelf project

Gilead Sciences Inc. has taken another step in monetizing the assets garnered from its 1999 acquisition of NeXstar Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $550 million in stock. GILD believes that the liposomal technology acquired in the deal should breathe new life into a compound shelved by Glaxo Wellcome plc. GILD has reformulated the compound and says it has improved its therapeutic index for use in solid tumors.

GW1843U89 is a small molecule thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitor developed by Glaxo and shelved during its merger with Wellcome in 1995, said John Milligan, GILD's vice president of corporate development. TS is expressed at higher levels in cancerous than non-cancerous tissue. "Glaxo saw a dramatic response in Phase I, but they curtailed development after the merger," he said...