From Vir Biotechnology CEO on treating hepatitis · · CNBC Television
“Many of the patients are not yet diagnosed so hepatitis B, flu, HIV, tuberculosis—these are the things that Vir is focused on.”
On , Mark M.p.h., Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer at VIR BIOTECHNOLOGY INC, spoke about infectious diseases during Vir Biotechnology CEO on treating hepatitis on CNBC Television.
In a September 2020 interview, Mark M.p.h., Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer at Vir Biotechnology, discussed the company's focus on infectious diseases. He stated that "the pharma industry has reduced its emphasis on infectious diseases; there's a huge need for better drugs and that's why Vir exists." He noted that the company is concentrating on hepatitis B, flu, HIV, and tuberculosis, adding that "many of the patients are not yet diagnosed." M.p.h. also commented on the business dynamics of developing cures for viral diseases. He referenced Gilead's experience with hepatitis C, saying it was "dramatically rewarded by the market and then dramatically punished when they couldn't come up with the next cure." He expressed a view that a potential cure for hepatitis B would differ, stating, "I think hepatitis B will be different from hepatitis C... I don't think it's going to be a hepatitis C kinetics where you have a huge market and you cure everybody in a couple years and then the market falls off; it would be much more slowly."