Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes therapeutics to advance the care of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. The company has seven commercially available products and focuses its research and clinical programs on anti-infectives. Headquartered in Foster City, California, Gilead has operations in North America, Europe and Australia.

History

Gilead Sciences was formed in June 1987 by Michael Riordan . Its development of small molecule antiviral therapeutics begins with the licensing in 1991 of nucleotide compounds discovered in two European academic labs.

In 1990, Gilead entered into a collaborative research agreement with Glaxo for the research and development of genetic code blockers, also known as antisense . This collaboration was terminated in 1998, and Gilead's antisense intellectual property portfolio was sold to Isis Pharmaceuticals .

In June 1996, Gilead launched its first commercial product, Vistide (cidofovir injection) for the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in patients with AIDS. The company cooperated with Pharmacia & Upjohn to market the product outside the U.S.A.

In 1999 Gilead acquired NeXstar Pharmaceuticals of Boulder, Colorado. In the same year, Roche announced first approval of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) for the treatment of influenza. Tamiflu was originally discovered by Gilead and licensed to Roche for late-Phase development and marketing.

Viread (tenofovir) achieved first approval in 2001 for the treatment of HIV.

In January 2003 Gilead completed its acquisition of Triangle Pharmaceuticals . The company also announced its first full year of profitability. Later that year Hepsera (adefovir) was approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, and Emtriva (emtricitabine) for the treatment of HIV.

In January 1997, Donald Rumsfeld, a Board member since 1988, was appointed Chairman of the company. He stood down from the Board in January 2001 when appointed Secretary of Defense at the start of George W. Bush's first term as President.

Financial highlights

Fiscal year 2003

			GAAP				NON-GAAP
Total Revenues		$867.7 million 	        	$867.7 million
Net Product Sales	$836.3 million 	        	$836.3 million
Total Expenses		$913.8 million 	        	$428.3 million
Net Income		($72.0) million 	        $302.8 million
EPS			($0.36) per diluted share 	$1.41 per diluted share
Cash and Equivalents	$707.0 million          	$707.0 million
Stock Split (2-for-1)	March 2002 	
Employees		1,500 (approximately)

Executive Committee

The Gilead Executive Committee provides guidance on strategy, business development, sales and marketing, and research and development. Its members include:

• John C. Martin, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer
• Norbert W. Bischofberger, PhD, Executive Vice President, Research and Development
• John F. Milligan, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
• Anthony D. Caracciolo, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing
• Michael K. Inouye, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations
• William A. Lee, PhD, Senior Vice President, Research
• John J. Toole, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President, Clinical Research
• Gregg H. Alton, Vice President and General Counsel
• Marsha Roberts, Vice President, Human Resources

Product portfolio

In 2004, Gilead had seven products on the market, all tackling potentially life-threatening infectious diseases.

• Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
• Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
• Emtriva (emtricitabine)
• AmBisome (amphotericin B) liposome for injection
• Hepsera (adefovir dipivoxil)
• Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate)
• Vistide (cidofovir injection)

External links

• Gilead corporate web site

Data

• Yahoo! - Gilead Sciences, Inc. Company Profile