What Gilead Sciences does

Gilead Sciences is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company founded in 1987 and headquartered in Foster City, California, that develops and commercializes therapies across three therapeutic franchises: virology (HIV, viral hepatitis including HBV/HDV, COVID-19, and neglected/emerging viruses), oncology (cell therapy via its Kite subsidiary and antibody-drug conjugates), and inflammation (PBC, PAH, cystic fibrosis infections, and antifungals). The company markets more than 25 commercialized medicines including Biktarvy (the flagship single-tablet HIV regimen generating $3.4B in Q1 2026), Trodelvy (Trop-2-directed ADC), Yescarta and Tecartus (Kite's CD19 CAR-T therapies), Sunlenca/Yeztugo (lenacapavir, the first-in-class HIV-1 capsid inhibitor with twice-yearly injectable and once-weekly oral PrEP dosing), Hepcludex (the only FDA-approved chronic HDV therapy), Livdelzi (PPAR-delta agonist for PBC), and Veklury (remdesivir for COVID-19).

Gilead's R&D stack spans small-molecule antivirals, antibody-drug conjugates (including the recently acquired Tubulis linker technology platform), monoclonal and bispecific antibodies, and autologous CAR-T cell therapy manufactured by Kite, supported by an internal BETR inflammation framework and an external-sponsored research program with centralized OPTICS proposal platform. Recent pipeline additions include anito-cel (BCMA CAR-T via Arcellx), TUB-040 and TUB-030 (NaPi2b ADCs via Tubulis), and OM336/gamgertamig (BCMAxCD3 T cell engager via Ouro Medicines).

Gilead generates revenue primarily through branded pharmaceutical product sales — Q1 2026 totaled approximately $7 billion, with the HIV franchise contributing $5.03 billion — supplemented by regional marketing partner royalties (Astellas, GSK, Janssen, Dainippon Sumitomo), voluntary licensing and technology transfer in 120+ low- and middle-income countries, and milestone payments from strategic collaborations. Distribution channels include enterprise field sales, direct-to-consumer, event-driven, and channel partners. The company reported $5.7B in R&D investment in 2025, free cash flow of $2.427B in Q1 2026, and a market capitalization of approximately $155.75B as of June 2026 under NASDAQ ticker GILD, with operations across 35+ countries on six continents and a workforce of 17,000+.

Name

Gilead Sciences

Legal name

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Website

https://gilead.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Gilead Sciences is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes more than 25 medicines across virology, oncology, and inflammation therapeutic areas, serving global patient populations through branded product sales and voluntary licensing in 120+ low- and middle-income countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceuticals

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Care Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oncology Gene Therapies (incl. oncolytic vectors & gene-modified approaches) (HLAAACAF), AAV Vector Gene Therapy Developers (HLAAACAA), Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods) (HLAAABAL)

Keywords

• Antiviral therapeutics
• Oncology medicines
• HIV treatments
• Cell therapy products
• Inflammatory disease therapies

Headquarters

HQ city

Foster City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Branded pharmaceutical product sales: Primary revenue stream from sale of more than 25 commercialized medicines across virology (HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19), oncology (cell therapy and ADCs) and inflammation, with HIV franchise (Biktarvy) contributing the largest share of sales.
2. Marketing partner royalties and co-promotion: Revenue from regional marketing partners that sell Gilead products in specific markets (e.g., Astellas for AmBisome in U.S./Canada, GlaxoSmithKline for Letairis/Volibris, Janssen for Complera/Eviplera, Dainippon Sumitomo for AmBisome in Japan).
3. Voluntary licensing and technology transfer in LMICs: Voluntary licensing model enabling generic supply of Gilead antivirals in 120+ low- and middle-income countries, supported by technology transfer and on-the-ground technical assistance.
4. Strategic collaboration and milestone payments: Revenue from strategic collaborations, opt-in rights, and milestone payments on partnered programs (e.g., 2022 Arcellx anito-cel collaboration, Assembly Biosciences HSV-2 opt-in, Galapagos cost-share on Ouro).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Core offering

Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and commercializes medicines across three core therapeutic franchises: virology (HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19), oncology (antibody-drug conjugates and CAR T-cell therapies), and inflammation. It sells more than 25 branded prescription medicines, including Biktarvy for HIV, Veklury for COVID-19, Epclusa/Harvoni/Sovaldi for hepatitis C, Hepcludex for hepatitis D, Trodelvy for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, and Yescarta/Tecartus cell therapies manufactured by its Kite subsidiary.

Product overview

Gilead Sciences operates as a single biopharmaceutical company organized around three core therapeutic franchises — virology, oncology, and inflammation — rather than a software platform with modules. The virology franchise centers on Biktarvy, Descovy, Truvada, Genvoya, Odefsey, Stribild, Complera, Emtriva, Tybost, Sunlenca, and the pipeline asset Yeztugo (lenacapavir oral) for HIV; Veklury for COVID-19; Epclusa, Harvoni, Sovaldi, and Vosevi for HCV; Vemlidy and Viread for HBV; and Hepcludex for HDV. The inflammation/other-medicines franchise includes Livdelzi for PBC, Letairis for PAH, Cayston for cystic fibrosis infections, and AmBisome as a systemic antifungal. The oncology franchise is anchored by Trodelvy and the Kite Pharma cell-therapy franchise (Yescarta, Tecartus), with the Arcellx-derived anito-cel and KITE-753 expanding the CAR-T pipeline and the Tubulis-derived TUB-040 and TUB-030 adding antibody-drug conjugate capability; the Ouro-derived OM336/gamgertamig extends the inflammation pipeline. Underlying the portfolio, Gilead has published internal AI Principles and — per third-party reporting — is deploying agentic AI across enterprise HR, finance, fraud-detection, and creative-operations workflows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kite (a Gilead Company): Cell therapy subsidiary, operating as a separately branded entity under the Gilead corporate umbrella
• Biktarvy
• Trodelvy
• Yescarta
• Tecartus
• Sunlenca
• Hepcludex
• Livdelzi
• Veklury

Products and services

• Biktarvy

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Merck & Co. Large-cap biopharmaceutical peer with broad oncology and infectious disease franchises; Merck's Keytruda is the combination partner for Trodelvy in 1L PD-L1+ mTNBC, and both companies compete in viral hepatitis and global public health markets, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Bristol Myers Squibb: Direct oncology competitor with CAR-T assets Breyanzi and Abecma that compete with Kite's Yescarta and Tecartus, plus a complementary ADC and immuno-oncology pipeline; BMS's hepatitis and HIV adjacencies overlap with Gilead's virology franchises and inform comparable R&D and acquisition benchmarks.
• Pfizer: Large biopharma with overlapping antiviral history (Paxlovid for COVID-19 alongside Gilead's Veklury), a major ADC franchise (Padcev) competing with Trodelvy, and an active M&A program that mirrors Gilead's external growth strategy across oncology and infectious disease.
• AbbVie: Large-cap biopharma with deep immunology and antiviral adjacencies (Humira/Skyrizi/Rinvoq plus historical HIV/HCV franchises) and an aggressive M&A model (Allergan, ImmunoGen, Cerevel) directly comparable to Gilead's recent Arcellx, Tubulis, and Ouro deals.
• Johnson & Johnson: Large diversified biopharma with significant oncology, infectious disease, and immunology franchises; J&J's CAR-T and bispecific programs (e.g., Carvykti via Legend partnership) compete with Kite and the Arcellx-derived anito-cel, making it a relevant comparator on cell therapy economics and R&D scale.
• GSK: Major HIV and respiratory competitor through its ViiV Healthcare majority stake (competing directly with Biktarvy, Descovy, and lenacapavir), and an oncology/vaccines portfolio comparable to Gilead's; GSK's dual infectious-disease and oncology mix makes it the most relevant virology-oncology peer.
• Novartis: Innovative-medicine peer with broad oncology and radioligand franchises and the first-approved CAR-T therapy (Kymriah), directly competing with Gilead's Kite franchise; Novartis's recent restructuring toward pure-play innovative medicines parallels Gilead's strategic focus on virology and oncology.
• ViiV Healthcare: GSK-majority-owned HIV specialist whose leading integrase inhibitor regimens (Dovato, Cabenuva, Apretude) compete head-to-head with Gilead's Biktarvy and lenacapavir PrEP franchise; ViiV is the most direct HIV-specific commercial competitor and the cleanest read on HIV market dynamics.

Broad incumbents

• Eli Lilly: Largest large-cap biopharma with diabetes/obesity (Mounjaro, Zepbound), oncology, immunology, and neuroscience franchises; Lilly operates across broader therapeutic areas than Gilead but is a relevant peer for capital scale, R&D intensity benchmarks, and large-pharma M&A capacity comparisons.

Emerging players

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Specialty biopharma with historic HCV franchise history and a growing pipeline in pain, sickle cell disease, and gene-editing therapies; Vertex's casgevy (CRISPR-based) and emerging cell-and-gene therapy pipeline overlap with Gilead's Kite and Arcellx platforms, making it a relevant emerging comparator in cell and genetic medicines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GileadSciences
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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A27 records

Investments80 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gilead Sciences