A PROFILE ON GILEAD SCIENCES AND REMEDESIVIR

Gilead Sciences is becoming a household name

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a lot of new things to everyday life like personal protection equipment (PPE), work from home (WFH), telehealth, social distancing and other elements. It has also put the spotlight on the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Typically vilified by the media, these organizations are investing hundreds of millions of dollars into the research and development of products to combat COVID-19. 

One of these lesser known companies to the general public but well respected in the healthcare and biopharmaceutical community is Gilead Sciences.

Key facts about Gilead Sciences:

• The firm was founded in Foster City, California in 1987
• Its stock is traded on NASDAQ: GILD
• The company generates over $22 billion in annual sales
• Roughly 11,000 persons are employed by the organization
• Its product portfolio is diverse but centers largely around these categories of medicine: cardiovascular, hematology/oncology, HIV/AIDS, inflammation, respiratory and liver disease
• The portfolio's top selling products include Biktarvy (bictegravir, emtriciabine and tenofoviral afenamide), Genvoya (elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, tenofovir alafenamide) and Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
• Its experimental drug, Remedesivir has been given emergency use authorization (EUA) status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat COVID-19 patients

Key facts about Remedesivir:

• The agent is still considered experimental, it does not have  established safety or efficacy for the treatment of any condition, it has not completed a successful clinical trial and been officially reviewed by regulating authorities
• It is an antiviral drug whose development began based on research started in 2009
• Also known as GS-5734, it is  a nucleoside analogue pro-drug based on a synthetic molecule in the antiviral class of medications targeting RNA synthesis
• The product has shown in vitro and in vivo activity against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) viruses (which are also coronaviruses) in the laboratory setting and has shown some activity against COVID-19
• It is an injectable therapy although Gilead Sciences is exploring other formulations for the drug including inhaled powdered forms
• The product is being further evaluated as a tandem therapy against COVID-19 with Eli Lilly's (NYSE: LLY) Olumiant (baricitinib) and with Cytodyn's (OTCMKTS: CYDY) leronlimab -a monoclonal antibody mAb that is still is development