Biktarvy, PrEP Continue Driving Gilead’s HIV Dominance

Despite an expected sequential decline in HIV revenues in the first quarter, Gilead Sciences Inc.’s top franchise showed strong underlying indications of growth driven both by the record launch of Biktarvy and increasing PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis) business.

Gilead’s HIV franchise yielded $3.62bn in global sales during the first quarter of 2019, up 14% year-over-year, but down 11% sequentially from the fourth quarter of 2018. Analysts had predicted this occurrence and Gilead attributed it to both wholesaler stocking in the fourth quarter ahead of new-year price increases and also a payer mix skewed more toward government-insured HIV patients