filings.toolsItem 1. BUSINESS
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Item 1. BUSINESS
Overview
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Gilead, we, our or us), incorporated in Delaware on June 22, 1987, is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. With each new discovery and investigational drug candidate, we strive to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. We have operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California. Gilead’s primary areas of focus include HIV/AIDS, liver diseases, hematology/oncology and inflammation/respiratory diseases. We seek to add to our existing portfolio of products through our internal discovery and clinical development programs, product acquisition, in-licensing and strategic collaborations.
2018 Highlights
2018 was marked by operational excellence and transition as we positioned ourselves for the future growth of our business. We continued to develop and deliver innovative medicines to help people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Highlights of our 2018 performance include:
| • | HIV: We achieved record sales of our HIV products in 2018, with HIV product revenues increasing by 19% in the United States and 12% worldwide compared to 2017. This growth was driven by the successful launch of Biktarvy® and the continued strong uptake of our single tablet regimens containing tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) for the treatment of HIV infection as well as Truvada® for a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) indication for HIV prevention. Biktarvy, a once-daily single tablet regimen containing bictegravir, emtricitabine and TAF for the treatment of HIV infection in adults, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February and by the European Commission in June. |
| • | Liver Diseases: Our revenues from our chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) products became more predictable in 2018. Because we wanted to introduce a lower-priced alternative to our HCV products without significant disruption to the healthcare system and our business, we authorized the launch of generic versions of Epclusa® and Harvoni® in the United States starting in January 2019 through our separate subsidiary, Asegua Therapeutics LLC (Asegua). We also continued to advance our clinical trials for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), including completing enrollment of Phase 3 clinical trials of NASH. |
| • | Cell Therapy and Immuno-Oncology: We advanced our pipeline of cancer therapies and positioned ourselves as a leader in cell therapy. Yescarta® was approved by the European Commission in August for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. We certified additional centers in the United States and Europe to provide treatment for Yescarta. In order to advance and accelerate research and development efforts in cell therapy and immuno-oncology, during the year, we entered into key strategic collaborations with the National Cancer Institute, Pfizer, Inc. (Pfizer), Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. (Sangamo), Gadeta B.V. (Gadeta), HiFiBiO Therapeutics (HiFiBiO), Tango Therapeutics (Tango) and Agenus Inc. (Agenus). |
| • | Inflammation: We continued to advance our pipeline of novel investigational agents for inflammatory diseases, including announcing positive data on filgotinib in ongoing Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials. We also entered into a strategic collaboration with Verily Life Sciences LLC, an Alphabet company (Verily), using Verily’s Immunoscape platform to identify and better understand the immunological basis of inflammatory diseases. |
During the year, we continued to invest in and advance our research and development pipeline across our therapeutic areas. At the end of 2018, our research and development pipeline included 119 active clinical studies, of which 41 were Phase 3 clinical trials. Additionally, we completed 26 collaborations, partnerships and strategic investments in 2018, which reflects our commitment to enabling our access to new technologies and drug candidates with the potential to evolve care for people with life-threatening illnesses. Our investments in research and development reflect our commitment to expanding our pipeline across a range of diseases to address areas of significant unmet medical need and positioning ourselves for the long-term growth of our business.
Our Principal Products
Our innovative medicines represent advancements by offering enhanced modes of delivery, more convenient treatment regimens, improved resistance profiles, reduced side effects and greater efficacy. Our focus on innovation has allowed us to deliver more than 24 marketed products across our primary areas of focus: HIV/AIDS, liver diseases, hematology/oncology and inflammation/respiratory diseases.
Our principal products and the approved indications in the United States are as follows:
HIV/AIDS
| • | Biktarvy is an oral formulation dosed once a day for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in certain patients. Biktarvy is a single tablet regimen of a fixed-dose combination of our antiretroviral medications, bictegravir, emtricitabine and TAF. |
| • | Descovy® is an oral formulation indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in certain patients. Descovy is a fixed-dose combination of our antiretroviral medications, emtricitabine and TAF. |
| • | Odefsey® is an oral formulation dosed once a day for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in certain patients. Odefsey is a single tablet regimen of a fixed-dose combination of our antiretroviral medications, emtricitabine and TAF, and rilpivirine marketed by Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). |
| • | Genvoya® is an oral formulation dosed once a day for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in certain patients. Genvoya is a single tablet regimen of a fixed-dose combination of our antiretroviral medicines, elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine and TAF. |
| • | Stribild® is an oral formulation dosed once a day for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in certain patients. Stribild is a single tablet regimen of a fixed-dose combination of our antiretroviral medications, elvitegravir, cobicistat, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and emtricitabine. |
| • | Complera®/Eviplera® is an oral formulation dosed once a day for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in certain patients. The product, marketed in the United States as Complera and in Europe as Eviplera, is a single tablet regimen of a fixed-dose combination of our antiretroviral medications, TDF and emtricitabine, and Janssen’s rilpivirine hydrochloride. |
| • | Atripla® is an oral formulation indicated as a complete regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in certain patients. Atripla is a fixed-dose combination of our antiretroviral medications, TDF and emtricitabine, and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company’s (BMS’s) efavirenz. |
| • | Truvada® is an oral formulation indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in certain patients. It is a fixed-dose combination of our antiretroviral medications, TDF and emtricitabine. FDA also approved Truvada for a PrEP indication, in combination with safer sex practices, to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection in certain at-risk patients. |
Liver Diseases
| • | Vosevi® is an oral formulation of a once-daily, single tablet regimen of sofosbuvir, velpatasvir and voxilaprevir for the re-treatment of chronic HCV infection in adults: (i) with genotype 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 previously treated with an NS5A inhibitor-containing regimen or (ii) with genotype 1a or 3 previously treated with a sofosbuvir-containing regimen without an NS5A inhibitor. |
| • | Vemlidy® is an oral formulation of TAF dosed once a day for the treatment of chronic HBV infection in adults with compensated liver disease. |
| • | Epclusa® is an oral formulation of a once-daily single tablet regimen of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir for the treatment of chronic HCV infection in adults with genotype 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6: (i) without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis or (ii) with decompensated cirrhosis for use in combination with ribavirin. |
| • | Harvoni® is an oral formulation of a once-daily, single tablet regimen of ledipasvir and sofosbuvir for the treatment of chronic HCV infection in: (i) adults with genotype 1, 4, 5 or 6 without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis, (ii) adults with genotype 1 infection with decompensated cirrhosis, in combination with ribavirin, (ii) adults with genotype 1 or 4 who are liver transplant recipients without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis, in combination with ribavirin, or (iv) certain pediatric patients with genotype 1, 4, 5 or 6 without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis. |
| • | Viread® is an oral formulation of TDF dosed once a day for the treatment of chronic HBV infection in adults and certain pediatric patients. |
Hematology/Oncology
| • | Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) is a CAR T cell therapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including DLBCL not otherwise specified, PMBCL, high-grade B-cell lymphoma and DLBCL arising from TFL. |
| • | Zydelig® (idelalisib) is an oral formulation of a kinase inhibitor for the treatment of patients with: (i) relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), in combination with rituximab, for whom rituximab alone would be considered appropriate therapy due to other co-morbidities, (ii) relapsed follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (FL) in patients who have received at least two prior systemic therapies or (iii) relapsed small lymphocytic lymphoma who have received at least two prior systemic therapies. |
Other
| • | Letairis® (ambrisentan) is an oral formulation of an endothelin receptor antagonist for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (WHO Group I) (i) to improve exercise capacity and delay clinical worsening or (ii) in combination with tadalafil to reduce the risks of disease progression and hospitalization for worsening PAH, and to improve exercise ability. |
| • | Ranexa® (ranolazine) is an oral formulation of an extended-release tablet of an antianginal for the treatment of chronic angina. |
| • | AmBisome® (amphotericin B liposome for injection) is a proprietary liposomal formulation of amphotericin B, an antifungal agent, for the treatment of serious invasive fungal infections caused by various fungal species in adults. |
For information about our product revenues, including the amount of revenue contributed by each of the products listed above for each of the last three fiscal years, see Note 2, Revenues, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Commercialization and Distribution
We have U.S. and international commercial sales operations, with marketing subsidiaries in more than 35 countries. Our products are marketed through our commercial teams and/or in conjunction with third-party distributors and corporate partners. Our commercial teams promote our products through direct field contact with physicians, hospitals, clinics and other healthcare providers. We generally grant our third-party distributors the exclusive right to promote our product in a territory for a specified period of time. Most of our agreements with these distributors provide for collaborative efforts between the distributor and Gilead in obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval for the product in the specified territory.
We sell and distribute most of our products in the United States exclusively through the wholesale channel. Our product sales to three large wholesalers, McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen Corporation and Cardinal Health, Inc., each accounted for more than 10% of total revenues for each of the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016. On a combined basis, in 2018, these wholesalers accounted for approximately 85% of our product sales in the United States and approximately 62% of our total worldwide revenues. We sell and distribute our products in Europe and countries outside the United States where the product is approved, either through our commercial teams, third-party distributors or corporate partners.
Competition
We operate in a highly competitive environment. We face significant competition from global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, specialized pharmaceutical firms and generic drug manufacturers. Our products compete with other commercially available products based primarily on efficacy, safety, tolerability, acceptance by doctors, ease of patient compliance, ease of use, price, insurance and other reimbursement coverage, distribution and marketing. As our products mature, private insurers and government payers often reduce the amount they will reimburse patients, which increases pressure on us to reduce prices. Further, as new branded or generic products are introduced into major markets, our ability to maintain pricing and market share may be affected. For a description of our competitors, see Item 1A - Risk Factors “We face significant competition.”
Research and Development
Our research and development (R&D) philosophy and strategy are to develop best-in-class drugs that improve safety or efficacy for unmet medical needs. We intend to continue committing significant resources to internal R&D opportunities and external business development activity.
Our product development efforts cover a wide range of medical conditions, including HIV/AIDS, liver diseases, hematology/oncology, and inflammation/respiratory diseases. We have research scientists engaged in the discovery and development of new molecules and technologies that we hope will lead to the approval of new medicines that will advance the current standard of care and address unmet medical needs.
The development of our product candidates is subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include our ability to enroll patients in clinical trials, the possibility of unfavorable results of our clinical trials, the need to modify or delay our clinical trials or to perform additional trials and the risk of failing to obtain regulatory approvals. As a result, our product candidates may never be successfully commercialized. Drug development is inherently risky and many product candidates fail during the drug development process.
Below is a summary of our key product candidates and their corresponding current stages of development.
Product Candidates for the Treatment of HIV/AIDS
| Product Candidates | Description | |
| Product in Phase 3 | ||
| Descovy | Descovy is being evaluated for a PrEP indication. | |
| Product in Phase 2 | ||
| GS-9131 | GS-9131, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, is being evaluated for the treatment of HIV infection. | |
| Products in Phase 1 | ||
| GS-6207 | GS-6207, a capsid inhibitor, is being evaluated for the treatment of HIV infection. | |
| Vesatolimod | Vesatolimod (formerly GS-9620), a TLR-7 agonist, is being evaluated as a potential cure for HIV infection. | |
| GS-9722 | GS-9722, a broadly neutralizing antibody, is being evaluated as a potential cure for HIV infection. |
Product Candidates for the Treatment of Liver Diseases
| Product Candidates | Description | |
| Product in Phase 3 | ||
| Selonsertib | Selonsertib, an ASK-1 inhibitor, is being evaluated in the STELLAR-3 trial for the treatment of NASH and bridging fibrosis. | |
| Products in Phase 2 | ||
| GS-9688 | GS-9688, a TLR-8 agonist, is being evaluated for the treatment of HBV infection. | |
| Cilofexor | Cilofexor (formerly GS-9674), a FXR agonist, is being evaluated for the treatment of NASH, primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. | |
| Firsocostat | Firsocostat (formerly GS-0976), an ACC inhibitor, is being evaluated for the treatment of NASH. |
Product Candidates for the Treatment of Hematology/Oncology
| Product Candidates | Description | |
| Products in Phase 3 | ||
| Axicabtagene ciloleucel | Axicabtagene ciloleucel is being evaluated for the treatment of second line diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). | |
| Products in Phase 2 | ||
| Axicabtagene ciloleucel | Axicabtagene ciloleucel is being evaluated for the treatment of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Axicabtagene ciloleucel is also being evaluated for the treatment of DLBCL in combination with anti-PD-L1 mAB and first line DLBCL. | |
| Tirabrutinib | Tirabrutinib, a BTK inhibitor, is being evaluated for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. | |
| KTE-X19 | KTE-X19, a CAR T cell therapy, is being evaluated for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma and adult and pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. | |
| Products in Phase 1 | ||
| KITE-718 | KITE-718, a MAGE A3/A6, is being evaluated for the treatment of solid tumors. |
Product Candidates for the Treatment of Inflammation/Respiratory Diseases
| Product Candidates | Description | |
| Product in Phase 3 | ||
| Filgotinib | Filgotinib, a JAK1 inhibitor, is being evaluated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. | |
| Products in Phase 2 | ||
| Filgotinib | Filgotinib is being evaluated for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. | |
| GS-9876 | GS-9876, a Syk inhibitor, is being evaluated for the treatment of Sjogren’s syndrome and lupus. | |
| Products in Phase 1 | ||
| GS-4875 | GS-4875, a TPL2 inhibitor, is being evaluated for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. |
Other Product Candidates
| Product Candidate | Description | |
| Product in Phase 2 | ||
| Remdesivir | Remdesivir, a Nuc inhibitor, is being evaluated for the treatment of Ebola virus infection. |
In addition to our internal discovery and clinical development programs, we seek to add to our portfolio of products through product acquisition, in-licensing and strategic collaborations. We completed 26 collaborations, partnerships and strategic investments in 2018, compared to 6 in 2017, which reflects our commitment to enabling our access to new technologies and drug candidates with the potential to evolve care for people with life-threatening illnesses.
Patents and Proprietary Rights
U.S. and European Patent Expiration
We have a number of U.S. and foreign patents, patent applications and rights to patents related to our compounds, products and technology, but we cannot be certain that issued patents will be enforceable or provide adequate protection or that pending patent applications will result in issued patents.
The following table shows the estimated expiration dates (including patent term extensions, supplementary protection certificates and/or pediatric exclusivity where granted) in the United States and the European Union for the primary (typically compound) patents for our Phase 3 product candidates. For our product candidates that are fixed-dose combinations of single tablet regimens, the estimated patent expiration date provided corresponds to the latest expiring compound patent for one of the active ingredients in the single tablet regimen.
| Phase 3 Product Candidates | Patent Expiration | |||||
| Product Candidate for the Treatment of HIV/AIDS | U.S. | E.U. | ||||
| Descovy for PrEP | 2022* | 2021* | ||||
| Product Candidate for the Treatment of Liver Diseases | ||||||
| Selonsertib for the treatment of NASH | 2033 | 2033 | ||||
| Product Candidates for the Treatment of Hematology/Oncology | ||||||
| Axicabtagene ciloleucel for the treatment of second line diffuse large B-cell lymphoma | 2027 | ** | ||||
| Product Candidate for the Treatment of Inflammation/Respiratory Diseases | ||||||
| Filgotinib for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis | 2030 | 2030 | ||||
| _______________________ | ||||||
| *An application for patent term extension was filed in the United States that if granted would extend the U.S. expiration date to 2025. Applications for supplementary protection certificates were filed in the European Union that if granted would extend the E.U. expiration date to 2026. | ||||||
| ** The composition of matter patent has expired in the European Union. In the European Union and the United States, patent applications are pending relating to Kite’s proprietary manufacturing processes. |
The following table shows the actual or estimated expiration dates (including patent term extensions, supplementary protection certificates and/or pediatric exclusivity where granted) in the United States and the European Union for the primary (typically compound) patents for our principal products. For our products that are fixed-dose combinations or single tablet regimens, the estimated patent expiration dates provided correspond to the latest expiring compound patent for one of the active ingredients in the single tablet regimen.
| Products | Patent Expiration | ||||
| U.S. | E.U. | ||||
| Letairis | 2018 | (1) | 2020 | ||
| Ranexa | 2019 | (2) | 2023 | ||
| Atripla | 2021 | (3) | 2017 | ||
| Truvada | 2021 | (3) | 2017 | (4) | |
| Descovy | 2022 | (7) | 2021 | (7) | |
| Vemlidy | 2022 | (7) | 2021 | (7) | |
| Complera/Eviplera | 2025 | 2022 | (6) | ||
| Zydelig | 2025 | (6) | 2025 | (6) | |
| Odefsey | 2025 | 2022 | (6) | ||
| Yescarta | 2027 | (6) | - | (5) | |
| Stribild | 2029 | 2027 | (6) | ||
| Genvoya | 2029 | 2027 | (6) | ||
| Harvoni | 2030 | 2030 | (6) | ||
| Epclusa | 2032 | 2032 | |||
| Biktarvy | 2033 | 2033 | |||
| Vosevi | 2034 | 2033 | |||
| _______________________ | |||||
| These estimated expiration dates do not include any potential additional exclusivity (e.g., patent term extensions, supplementary protection certificates or pediatric exclusivity) that has not yet been granted. |
Notes:
| (1) | In 2017, Gilead and Watson Laboratories, Inc. reached an agreement to settle a patent litigation matter related to Letairis. |
| (2) | In 2013, Gilead and Lupin Limited (Lupin) reached an agreement to settle a patent litigation matter related to Ranexa. |
| (3) | In 2014, Gilead and Teva Pharmaceuticals reached an agreement to settle the patent litigation concerning patents that protect emtricitabine in our Truvada and Atripla products. |
| (4) | Supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) have been granted in several European countries. The validity of these SPCs has been challenged by several generic manufacturers, many of whom launched their competing product in 2017. The validity of these SPCs is being considered in national courts and by the Court of Justice for the European Union. |
| (5) | The composition of matter patent has expired in the European Union. In the European Union and the United States, patent applications are pending relating to Kite’s proprietary manufacturing processes. |
| (6) | Applications for patent term extensions are pending in the United States and/or SPCs are pending in one or more countries in the European Union for these products. |
| (7) | An application for patent term extension was filed in the United States that, if granted, would extend the U.S. expiration date to 2025. Applications for SPCs were filed in the European Union that, if granted, would extend the E.U. expiration date to 2026. |
Patent Protection and Certain Challenges
Patents and other proprietary rights are very important to our business. If we have a properly drafted and enforceable patent, it can be more difficult for our competitors to use our technology to create competitive products and more difficult for our competitors to obtain a patent that prevents us from using technology we create. As part of our business strategy, we actively seek patent protection both in the United States and internationally and file additional patent applications, when appropriate, to cover improvements in our compounds, products and technology.
Patents covering certain of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) of most of our HIV products as well as Yescarta, Letairis and Ranexa are held by third parties. We acquired exclusive rights to these patents in the agreements we have with these parties. We do not own patents covering ranolazine, the active ingredient of Ranexa. Instead, when it was discovered that only a sustained-release formulation of ranolazine would achieve therapeutic plasma levels, we obtained patents on those formulations and the characteristic plasma levels they achieve.
We may obtain patents for certain products many years before marketing approval is obtained. Because patents have a limited life that may begin to run prior to the commercial sale of the related product, the commercial value of the patent may be limited. However, we may be able to apply for patent term extensions or supplementary protection certificates in some countries. For
example, extensions for the patents or supplementary protection certificates on many of our products have been granted in the United States and in a number of European countries, compensating in part for delays in obtaining marketing approval. Similar patent term extensions may be available for other products we are developing, but we cannot be certain we will obtain them in some countries.
It is also important that we do not infringe the valid patents of third parties. If we infringe the valid patents of third parties, our reputations may be harmed and we may be required to pay significant monetary damages, we may be prevented from commercializing products or we may be required to obtain licenses from these third parties. We may not be able to obtain alternative technologies or any required license on reasonable terms or at all. If we fail to obtain these licenses or alternative technologies, we may be unable to develop or commercialize some or all of our products. For example, we are aware of patents and patent applications owned by other parties that such parties may claim to cover the use of sofosbuvir, axicabtagene ciloleucel and bictegravir.
Because patent applications are confidential for a period of time until a patent is issued, we may not know if our competitors have filed patent applications for technology covered by our pending applications or if we were the first to invent or first to file an application directed toward the technology that is the subject of our patent applications. Competitors may have filed patent applications or received patents and may obtain additional patents and proprietary rights that block or compete with our products. In addition, if competitors file patent applications covering our technology, we may have to participate in interference/derivation proceedings or litigation to determine the right to a patent. Litigation and interference/derivation proceedings are unpredictable and expensive, such that, even if we are ultimately successful, our results of operations may be adversely affected by such events.
Patents relating to pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biotechnology products, compounds and processes such as those that cover our existing compounds, products and processes and those that we will likely file in the future, do not always provide complete or adequate protection. Future litigation or other proceedings regarding the enforcement or validity of our existing patents or any future patents could result in the invalidation of our patents or substantially reduce their protection. From time to time, certain individuals or entities may challenge our patents.
Our pending patent applications and the patent applications filed by our collaborative partners may not result in the issuance of any patents or may result in patents that do not provide adequate protection. As a result, we may not be able to prevent third parties from developing compounds or products that are closely related to those which we have developed or are developing. In addition, certain countries do not provide effective enforcement of our patents, and third-party manufacturers may be able to sell generic versions of our products in those countries.
For a description of our significant pending legal proceedings, see Note 13, Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Trade Secrets
We also rely on unpatented trade secrets and improvements, unpatented internal know-how and technological innovation. For example, a great deal of our liposomal manufacturing expertise, which is a key component of our liposomal technology, is not covered by patents but is instead protected as a trade secret. We protect these rights mainly through confidentiality agreements with our corporate partners, employees, consultants and vendors. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to an individual during the course of their relationship with us will be kept confidential and will not be used or disclosed to third parties except in specified circumstances. In the case of employees, the agreements provide that all inventions made by an individual while employed by us will be our exclusive property. We cannot be certain that these parties will comply with these confidentiality agreements, that we have adequate remedies for any breach or that our trade secrets will not otherwise become known or be independently discovered by our competitors. Under some of our R&D agreements, inventions become jointly owned by us and our corporate partner and in other cases become the exclusive property of one party. In certain circumstances, it can be difficult to determine who owns a particular invention and disputes could arise regarding those inventions. If our trade secrets or confidential information become known or independently discovered by competitors, or if we enter into disputes over ownership of inventions, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Manufacturing and Raw Materials
Our products are manufactured either at our own facilities or by third-party contract manufacturers. We depend on third parties to perform manufacturing activities for the majority of our API and drug products. For most of our products, including our HIV and HCV products, we use multiple third-party contract manufacturers so that we have primary and back-up suppliers and manufacturing sites. For Letairis, we are the exclusive manufacturer of the ambrisentan API, but we have another qualified supplier to make this API. For Yescarta, we have established clinical and commercial manufacturing facilities for the cell processing activities. For our future products, we continue to develop additional manufacturing capabilities and establish additional third-party suppliers to manufacture sufficient quantities of our product candidates to undertake clinical trials and to manufacture sufficient quantities of any product that is approved for commercial sale.
Our Manufacturing Facilities
We own or lease manufacturing facilities in Foster City, San Dimas, La Verne, Oceanside and El Segundo, California; Dublin and Cork, Ireland; and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where we manufacture and distribute certain products and API for clinical and/or commercial uses.
| • | Foster City, California: We conduct process chemistry research and development activities, manufacture API for our clinical trials and oversee our third-party contract manufacturers. |
| • | San Dimas and La Verne, California: We manufacture AmBisome (in San Dimas), package and label the majority of our commercial products and distribute our products to the Americas and Pacific Rim. |
| • | Oceanside, California: We utilize the facility for clinical manufacture and process development of our biologics candidates. |
| • | El Segundo, California: We utilize the facility for clinical and commercial manufacture and processing of Yescarta. |
| • | Cork and Dublin, Ireland: We utilize the Cork facility for commercial manufacture, packaging and labeling of our antiviral products. We also perform quality control testing, labeling, packaging and final release of many of our products for distribution to the European Union and other international markets. The Dublin facility is also responsible for distribution activities of our products. |
| • | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: We conduct process chemistry research and scale-up activities of our clinical development candidates, manufacture API for both investigational and commercial products and conduct chemical development activities to improve existing commercial manufacturing processes. |
Third-Party Manufacturers
We believe the technology we use to manufacture our products is proprietary. For products manufactured by our third-party contract manufacturers, we have disclosed all necessary aspects of this technology to enable them to manufacture the products for us. We have agreements with these third-party manufacturers that are intended to restrict them from using or revealing this technology, but we cannot be certain that these third-party manufacturers will comply with these restrictions. In addition, these third-party manufacturers could develop their own technology related to the work they perform for us that we may need to manufacture our products. We could be required to enter into additional agreements with these third-party manufacturers if we want to use that technology ourselves or allow another manufacturer to use that technology. The third-party manufacturer could refuse to allow us to use their technology or could demand terms to use their technology that are not acceptable to us.
For more information about our third-party manufacturers, see Item 1A - Risk Factors “Manufacturing problems, including at our third-party manufacturers and corporate partners, could cause inventory shortages and delay product shipments and regulatory approvals, which may adversely affect our results of operations.”
Regulation of Manufacturing Process
The manufacturing process for pharmaceutical products is highly regulated and regulators may shut down manufacturing facilities that they believe do not comply with regulations. We, our third-party manufacturers and our corporate partners are subject to current Good Manufacturing Practices, which are extensive regulations governing manufacturing processes, stability testing, record keeping and quality standards as defined by FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Similar regulations are in effect in other jurisdictions. Our manufacturing operations are subject to routine inspections by regulatory agencies.
For Yescarta, we are required by FDA to comply with the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy program, which includes educating and certifying medical personnel regarding the therapy procedures and the potential side effect profile of our therapy, such as the potential adverse side effects related to cytokine release syndrome and neurologic toxicities. Additionally, we are required to maintain a complex chain of identity and custody with respect to patient material as such material moves to the manufacturing facilities, through the manufacturing process, and back to the patient.
Access to Raw Materials
We need access to certain raw materials to conduct our clinical trials and manufacture our products. These raw materials are generally available from multiple sources, purchased worldwide and normally available in quantities adequate to meet the needs of our business. We attempt to manage the risks associated with our supply chain by inventory management, relationship management and evaluation of alternative sources when feasible. For more information, see Item 1A - Risk Factors “We may not be able to obtain materials or supplies necessary to conduct clinical trials or to manufacture and sell our products, which would limit our ability to generate revenues.”
Seasonality of Operations and Backlog
Our worldwide product sales do not reflect any significant degree of seasonality in end-user demand. In the United States, fluctuations in wholesaler inventory levels have impacted our product sales. We have observed that strong wholesaler and sub-
wholesaler purchases of our products in the fourth quarter have resulted in inventory draw-down by wholesalers and sub-wholesalers in the subsequent first quarter. Several other factors, including government budgets, annual grant cycles for federal and state funds and other buying patterns, have impacted the product sales recorded in a particular quarter. For more information, see Item 1A - Risk Factors “Our inability to accurately predict demand for our products, uptake of new products or fluctuations in customer inventories makes it difficult for us to accurately forecast sales and may cause our forecasted revenues and earnings to fluctuate, which could adversely affect our financial results and our stock price.”
For the most part, we operate in markets characterized by short lead times and the absence of significant backlogs. We do not believe that backlog information is material to our business as a whole.
Government Regulation
Our operations and activities are subject to extensive regulation by numerous government authorities in the United States, the European Union and other countries, including laws and regulations governing the testing, manufacture, safety, efficacy, labeling, storage, record keeping, approval, advertising and promotion of our products. As a result of these regulations, product development and product approval processes are very expensive and time consuming. The regulatory requirements applicable to drug development and approval are subject to change. Any legal and regulatory changes may impact our operations in the future.
A country’s regulatory agency, such as FDA in the United States and EMA/European Commission for the European Union, must approve a drug before it can be sold in the respective country or countries. The general process for drug approval in the United States is summarized below. Many other countries, including countries in the European Union, have similar regulatory structures.
Preclinical Testing
Before we can test a drug candidate in humans, we must study the drug in laboratory experiments and in animals to generate data to support the drug candidate’s potential benefits and safety. We submit this data to FDA in an investigational new drug (IND) application seeking its approval to test the compound in humans.
Clinical Trials
If FDA accepts the IND, the drug candidate can then be studied in human clinical trials to determine if the drug candidate is safe and effective. These clinical trials involve three separate phases that often overlap, can take many years and are very expensive. These three phases, which are subject to considerable regulation, are as follows:
| • | Phase 1. The drug candidate is given to a small number of healthy human control subjects or patients suffering from the indicated disease, to test for safety, dose tolerance, pharmacokinetics, metabolism, distribution and excretion. |
| • | Phase 2. The drug candidate is given to a limited patient population to determine the effect of the drug candidate in treating the disease, the best dose of the drug candidate, and the possible side effects and safety risks of the drug candidate. It is not uncommon for a drug candidate that appears promising in Phase 1 clinical trials to fail in the more rigorous and extensive Phase 2 clinical trials. |
| • | Phase 3. If a drug candidate appears to be effective and safe in Phase 2 clinical trials, Phase 3 clinical trials are commenced to confirm those results. Phase 3 clinical trials are conducted over a longer term, involve a significantly larger population, are conducted at numerous sites in different geographic regions and are carefully designed to provide reliable and conclusive data regarding the safety and benefits of a drug candidate. It is not uncommon for a drug candidate that appears promising in Phase 2 clinical trials to fail in the more rigorous and extensive Phase 3 clinical trials. |
FDA Approval Process
When we believe that the data from our clinical trials show an acceptable benefit-risk profile, we submit the appropriate filing, usually in the form of a New Drug Application (NDA) or supplemental NDA, with FDA seeking approval to sell the drug candidate for a particular use. FDA may hold a public hearing where an independent advisory committee of expert advisors asks additional questions and makes recommendations regarding the drug candidate. This committee makes a recommendation to FDA that is not binding but is generally followed by FDA. If FDA agrees that the compound has met the required level of safety and efficacy for a particular use, it will allow us to sell the drug candidate in the United States for that use. It is not unusual, however, for FDA to reject an application because it believes that the drug candidate is not safe enough or efficacious enough or because it does not believe that the data submitted is reliable or conclusive.
At any point in this process, the development of a drug candidate can be stopped for a number of reasons including safety concerns and lack of treatment benefit. We cannot be certain that any clinical trials that we are currently conducting or any that we conduct in the future will be completed successfully or within any specified time period. We may choose, or FDA may require us, to delay or suspend our clinical trials at any time if it appears that the patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk or if the drug candidate does not appear to have sufficient treatment benefit.
FDA may also require Phase 4 non-registrational studies to explore scientific questions to further characterize safety and efficacy during commercial use of our drug. FDA may also require us to provide additional data or information, improve our manufacturing processes, procedures or facilities or may require extensive surveillance to monitor the safety or benefits of our product candidates if it determines that our filing does not contain adequate evidence of the safety and benefits of the drug. In addition, even if FDA approves a drug, it could limit the uses of the drug. FDA can withdraw approvals if it does not believe that we are complying with regulatory standards or if problems are uncovered or occur after approval.
In addition to obtaining FDA approval for each drug, we obtain FDA approval of the manufacturing facilities for any drug we sell, including those of companies who manufacture our drugs for us. All of these facilities are subject to periodic inspections by FDA. FDA must also approve foreign establishments that manufacture products to be sold in the United States and these facilities are subject to periodic regulatory inspection. Our manufacturing facilities located in California also must be licensed by the State of California in compliance with local regulatory requirements. Our manufacturing facilities in Canada and Ireland also must obtain local licenses and permits in compliance with local regulatory requirements.
Drugs that treat serious or life-threatening diseases and conditions that are not adequately addressed by existing drugs, and for which the development program is designed to address the unmet medical need, may be designated as fast track candidates by FDA and may be eligible for priority review. Drugs for the treatment of HIV infection that are designated for use under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief may also qualify for an expedited review.
European Union Approval Process
Drugs are also subject to extensive regulation outside of the United States. In the European Union, there is a centralized approval procedure that authorizes marketing of a product in all countries of the European Union. If this centralized approval procedure is not used, approval in one country of the European Union can be used to obtain approval in another country of the European Union under one of two simplified application processes: the mutual recognition procedure or the decentralized procedure, both of which rely on the principle of mutual recognition. After receiving regulatory approval through any of the European registration procedures, separate pricing and reimbursement approvals are also required in most countries. The European Union also has requirements for approval of manufacturing facilities for all products that are approved for sale by the European regulatory authorities.
Pricing and Reimbursement
Successful commercialization of our products depends, in part, on the availability of governmental and third-party payer reimbursement for the cost of such products and related treatments in the markets where we sell our products. Government health authorities, private health insurers and other organizations generally provide reimbursement. In the United States, the European Union and other significant or potentially significant markets for our products and product candidates, government authorities and third-party payers are increasingly attempting to limit or regulate the price of medical products and services. A significant portion of our sales of the majority of our products are subject to substantial discounts from the list prices. As a result, the price increases we implement from time to time on certain products may have a limited effect on our product sales in certain markets. In addition, standard reimbursement structures may not adequately reimburse for innovative therapies.
As our products mature, private insurers and government payers often reduce the amount they will reimburse patients, which increases pressure on us to reduce prices. Further, as new branded or generic products are introduced into major markets, our ability to maintain pricing and market share may be affected.
For more information, see Item 1A - Risk Factors “Our existing products are subject to reimbursement from government agencies and other third parties. Pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement pressures may reduce profitability.” and “Our inability to accurately predict demand for our products, uptake of new products or fluctuations in customer inventories make it difficult for us to accurately forecast sales and may cause our forecasted revenues and earnings to fluctuate, which could adversely affect our financial results and our stock price.”
Patient Assistance Programs
Recently, there has been enhanced scrutiny of company-sponsored patient assistance programs, including insurance premium and co-pay assistance programs and donations to third-party charities that provide such assistance. There has also been enhanced scrutiny by governments on reimbursement support offerings, clinical education programs and promotional speaker programs. If we, or our agents, vendors or donation recipients, are deemed to have failed to comply with laws, regulations or government guidance in any of these areas, we could be subject to criminal and civil sanctions. Any similar violations by our competitors could also negatively impact our industry reputation and increase scrutiny over our business and our products.
Health Care Fraud and Abuse Laws; Anti-Bribery Laws
We are subject to various federal and state laws pertaining to health care “fraud and abuse,” including anti-kickback laws and false claim laws. Anti-kickback laws make it illegal for a prescription drug manufacturer to solicit, offer, receive or pay any remuneration in exchange for, or to induce, the referral of business, including the purchase or prescription of a particular drug. Due to the breadth of the statutory provisions and the increasing attention being given to them by law enforcement authorities, it is possible that certain of our practices may be challenged under anti-kickback or similar laws. False claims laws generally prohibit anyone from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment by federal and certain state payers (including Medicare and Medicaid), or knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim. Our sales, marketing, patient support and medical activities may be subject to scrutiny under these laws.
In addition, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws. We operate in parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree. In certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices or may require us to interact with doctors and hospitals, some of which may be state controlled, in a manner that is different than local custom.
Despite our training and compliance program, our internal control policies and procedures may not protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. Violations of fraud and abuse laws or anti-bribery laws may be punishable by criminal and/or civil sanctions, including fines and civil monetary penalties, as well as the possibility of exclusion from federal health care programs (including Medicare and Medicaid). Violations can also lead to the imposition of a Corporate Integrity Agreement or similar government oversight program.
U.S. Healthcare Reform
The U.S. federal and state governments continue to propose and pass legislation designed to regulate the healthcare industry, including legislation that seeks to indirectly or directly regulate pharmaceutical drug pricing.
For more information, see Item 1A - Risk Factors “Our results of operations may be adversely affected by current and potential future healthcare legislative and regulatory actions” and “Laws and regulations applicable to the health care industry could impose new obligations on us, require us to change our business practices and restrict our operations in the future.”
Employees
As of January 31, 2019, we had approximately 11,000 employees. We believe we have good relations with our employees.
Environment
We are subject to a number of laws and regulations that require compliance with federal, state, and local regulations for the protection of the environment. The regulatory landscape continues to evolve, and we anticipate additional regulations in the near future. Laws and regulations are implemented and under consideration to mitigate the effects of climate change mainly caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Our business is not energy intensive. Therefore, we do not anticipate being subject to a cap and trade system or other mitigation measure that would materially impact our capital expenditures, operations or competitive position.
Other Information
We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act. Therefore, we file periodic reports, proxy and information statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.
The mailing address of our headquarters is 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, California 94404, and our telephone number at that location is 650-574-3000. Our website is www.gilead.com. Through a link on the “Investors” page of our website (under “SEC Filings” section), we make available the following filings free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC: our Annual Reports on Form 10-K; Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q; Current Reports on Form 8-K; and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
Transactions with Iran
We did not engage in any transactions within Iran during 2018 that would require disclosure in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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