Chronic infection with the hepatitis B or C virus can lead to serious and life-threatening liver damage, including liver cirrhosis (scarring), cancer and the need for liver transplantation. More than 500 million people worldwide live with chronic hepatitis B or C, making the infections many times more common than HIV.

  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the leading causes of preventable death globally, with more than 350,000 deaths each year attributable to HCV-related liver disease or cancer. The vast majority of people with HCV do not receive treatment.
  • Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is especially common in China and other Asian countries where infant immunization for the disease is not routine. HBV is second only to tobacco as a cancer-causing agent.

Our Role 

Viread® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) is indicated for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. We work with regional business partners and generic licensing partners to sell Viread for HBV at discounted prices in more than 130 developing countries - the same countries in which Viread is available for HIV. We are working to increase the number of access countries in which Viread is registered for HBV. HCV is also a key therapeutic focus area for Gilead. We have an active research and development program evaluating a number of antiviral combinations and treatment durations in different patient populations. As Gilead HCV medicines advance through the research and development pipeline, we will evaluate opportunities to incorporate them into our access programs.

At Gilead we are inspired by the opportunity to address unmet medical needs for patients living with life-threatening diseases around the world.

More Information 

See a country-by-country list of Viread hepatitis B registrations: