HIV
While Merck and Gilead Sciences reported back-to-back late-stage victories for their weekly HIV pill, the partners also discontinued a Phase 3 program for their cancer combo after disappointing lung cancer survival data.
With initial patients coming back for their second dose of Gilead’s twice-yearly PrEP injection, the pharma thinks the shot will hit $1 billion in sales this year, serving as “a cornerstone in Gilead’s revenue growth story.”
The newly approved HIV drug Idvynso will also help Merck diversify as loss of exclusivity looms over its top-selling product, the mega-blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda.
Gilead’s median employee compensation in 2025 was $238,979. Daniel O’Day’s compensation package is 119 times larger.
At the 2026 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Gilead and Merck demonstrated that their respective daily oral HIV drugs can match current therapies in keeping the virus at bay.
With 10 launches planned in the coming quarters, Gilead isn’t feeling the same acquisition urgency as its pharma peers—though the prospect of a takeover isn’t off the table.
At a J.P. Morgan media event Tuesday, the Gilead C-suite seemed to be walking on air as they highlighted Yeztugo’s capture of the HIV market and its plans for business development.
Gilead’s investigational drug combo bic/len could help lower the pill burden in patients with virologically suppressed HIV who are on complex treatment regimens, according to BMO Capital Markets.
Gilead is actively looking for late-stage and de-risked assets for potential deals across various therapeutic spaces, including liver disease, cancer and immunology.
In coordination with the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Gilead will make its twice-yearly HIV prophylactic Yeztugo available to resource-limited countries “at no profit.”
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