Scientific Innovation
The Year Ahead
Daniel O’Day - January 15, 2021 - 3 min read
The annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference took place virtually this week, providing an opportunity to update the investor community on Gilead’s future growth. In 2020, while responding to the pandemic with Veklury®, Gilead has also been building a diverse, high quality pipeline of medicines for oncology, other viral diseases and inflammation in line with our strategy. Gilead now has a clear path to near- and long-term growth. As we head into 2021, we are confident of delivering on our new opportunities in oncology, maintaining our leadership in antivirals and shaping a broad portfolio of medicines that have significant potential to help patients.
New Opportunities in Oncology
Gilead now has the necessary building blocks in place to become a major contributor in oncology. We have built a world-class portfolio and the leading capabilities and expertise to deliver on its potential. One of the most recent additions to our portfolio, Trodelvy® is a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that we gained through the acquisition of Immunomedics. This therapy is already on the market in the U.S. with an accelerated approval to treat certain patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. It is also being studied across 10 tumor types in total. Overall, our cancer portfolio represents multiple opportunities to potentially improve cancer treatment through diverse mechanisms of action. There are currently 44 ongoing studies.
Continued leadership in antivirals
Gilead has a long-standing legacy in antivirals, and we continue to build on that legacy. Our once daily oral medication for HIV, Biktarvy®, is the number one prescribed treatment regimen in major markets, representing the patient-centered innovation that is the hallmark of Gilead’s work in HIV. We are also excited about the potential of our investigational long-acting therapy. Lenacapavir has FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for the treatment of HIV in heavily treated patients with drug resistance and has shown the potential for six-month dosing intervals as it is being evaluated in clinical trials. As part of our continued leadership in antivirals, we have important opportunities to help people with viral hepatitis. We also continue to explore the potential of our antiviral therapy to help against COVID-19. One in every two hospitalized patients in the U.S. is receiving treatment with Veklury today.
A strong, diverse portfolio
All of our future success will be driven by our approach to creating a sustainable, diverse portfolio. With a broad range of programs from preclinical to marketed therapies, we will be data-driven and selective about where we invest our resources. We will also maintain the highest scientific bar as we advance our internal programs and consider external sources of innovation.
All of us at Gilead are committed to delivering on our many opportunities with passion, perseverance and a sense of urgency. I look forward to working with our employees and partners around the world in 2021 and beyond to fulfill our shared mission of improving global health.
U.S. full Prescribing Information for BIKTARVY and TRODELVY, including BOXED WARNINGS, and VEKLURY is available here.
