HIV drug pipeline flowing as GlaxoSmithKline, Concert collaborate

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Concert Pharmaceuticals, a Massachusetts-based start-up company, announced today that they will collaborate to develop and commercialize deuterium-containing medicines. Concert is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the application of deuterium chemistry. While it has a broad research pipeline in several areas, its lead development candidate is the HIV protease inhibitor CTP-518.

The deal includes several of Concert's research and development programs, including the one for CTP-518, which is expected to enter Phase I clinical trials in the second half of 2009. Concert will also provide GSK with deuterium-modified versions of three compounds already in GSK's own pipeline.