Gilead Enables Easier Veklury® Remdesivir Access Through Retail and Specialty Pharmacies for Long-Term Care and Skilled Nursing Facilities

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Foster City, Calif., December 23, 2022 – Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced it is simplifying the distribution pathways of Veklury® (remdesivir) in the United States. Starting soon, retail and specialty pharmacies will be able to submit a certification (attestation) form to AmerisourceBergen Specialty Division or Cardinal Specialty to verify they are servicing Veklury to long-term care facilities and skilled nursing facilities. Once certified, retail and specialty pharmacies can open a new account with AmerisourceBergen Specialty Division or Cardinal Specialty to purchase Veklury. New customers will be prioritized for the attestation process and new account set-up. Retail and specialty pharmacies that have previously attested can continue to serve these patients.

Outpatient facilities can continue to order Veklury directly through their current distributor. To order Veklury for outpatient use, please contact AmerisourceBergen Specialty Division or Cardinal Specialty for more information. AmerisourceBergen Specialty Division can be reached by calling 1-800-746-6273 or emailing C19Therapies@amerisourcebergen.com. Cardinal Specialty can be reached by calling 1-855-855-0708 or emailing GMB-SPD-CSORDERENTRY@cardinalhealth.com.

Hospitals should continue ordering Veklury through AmerisourceBergen Specialty Division, Cardinal Specialty and McKesson Plasma & Biologics. Please see below for the U.S. Indication and Important Safety Information for Veklury.

Gilead has been meeting real-time global demand for Veklury since October 2020. Gilead will continue to work to meet patient demand for Veklury in both hospital and non-hospital settings.

About Veklury
Veklury (remdesivir) is a nucleotide analog invented by Gilead, building on more than a decade of the company’s antiviral research. Veklury is a foundation for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and is a recommended treatment for reducing disease progression in non-hospitalized patients at high risk of disease progression. Veklury has an established safety profile and minimal known drug interactions in diverse populations. It can help reduce disease progression across a spectrum of disease severity and enable patients to recover faster, freeing up limited hospital resources and saving healthcare systems money.

Veklury directly inhibits viral replication inside of the cell by targeting the SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA polymerase. Based on in vitro analyses, Veklury retains antiviral activity against Omicron subvariants of concern, including Omicron subvariants BQ.1.1 and XBB. Data continues to confirm that Veklury retains antiviral activity against all Omicron subvariants analyzed to date. Gilead continuously evaluates the activity of Veklury against new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern as they emerge around the world.

Veklury is approved in more than 50 countries worldwide. To date, Veklury and generic remdesivir have been made available to more than 12 million patients around the world, including more than 7.5 million people in 127 middle- and low-income countries through Gilead’s voluntary licensing program. These licenses currently remain royalty-free, reflecting Gilead’s existing commitment to enabling broad patient access to remdesivir.

Veklury® (remdesivir 100 mg for injection) is indicated for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (≥28 days old and weighing ≥3 kg) who are:

Hospitalized, or
Not hospitalized and have mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.

For more information, please see the U.S. full Prescribing Information available at www.gilead.com.

U.S. Important Safety Information for Veklury

Contraindication

Veklury is contraindicated in patients with a history of clinically significant hypersensitivity reactions to Veklury or any of its components.

Warnings and precautions

Hypersensitivity, including infusion-related and anaphylactic reactions: Hypersensitivity, including infusion-related and anaphylactic reactions, has been observed during and following administration of Veklury; most reactions occurred within 1 hour. Monitor patients during infusion and observe for at least 1 hour after infusion is complete for signs and symptoms of hypersensitivity as clinically appropriate. Symptoms may include hypotension, hypertension, tachycardia, bradycardia, hypoxia, fever, dyspnea, wheezing, angioedema, rash, nausea, diaphoresis, and shivering. Slower infusion rates (maximum infusion time of up to 120 minutes) can potentially prevent these reactions. If a severe infusion-related hypersensitivity reaction occurs, immediately discontinue Veklury and initiate appropriate treatment (see Contraindications).
Increased risk of transaminase elevations: Transaminase elevations have been observed in healthy volunteers and in patients with COVID-19 who received Veklury; these elevations have also been reported as a clinical feature of COVID-19. Perform hepatic laboratory testing in all patients (see Dosage and administration). Consider discontinuing Veklury if ALT levels increase to >10x ULN. Discontinue Veklury if ALT elevation is accompanied by signs or symptoms of liver inflammation.
Risk of reduced antiviral activity when coadministered with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine: Coadministration of Veklury with chloroquine phosphate or hydroxychloroquine sulfate is not recommended based on data from cell culture experiments, demonstrating potential antagonism, which may lead to a decrease in antiviral activity of Veklury.

Adverse reactions

The most common adverse reaction (≥5% all grades) was nausea.
The most common lab abnormalities (≥5% all grades) were increases in ALT and AST.

Dosage and administration

Administration should take place under conditions where management of severe hypersensitivity reactions, such as anaphylaxis, is possible.
Treatment duration:
- For patients who are hospitalized, Veklury should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis of symptomatic COVID-19.
- For patients who are hospitalized and do not require invasive mechanical ventilation and/or ECMO, the recommended treatment duration is 5 days. If a patient does not demonstrate clinical improvement, treatment may be extended up to 5 additional days, for a total treatment duration of up to 10 days.
- For patients who are hospitalized and require invasive mechanical ventilation and/or ECMO, the recommended total treatment duration is 10 days.
- For patients who are not hospitalized, diagnosed with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, and are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death, the recommended total treatment duration is 3 days. Veklury should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis of symptomatic COVID-19 and within 7 days of symptom onset for outpatient use.
Testing prior to and during treatment: Perform eGFR, hepatic laboratory and prothrombin time testing prior to initiating Veklury and during use as clinically appropriate.
Renal impairment: Veklury is not recommended in individuals with eGFR <30 mL/min.

Pregnancy and lactation

Pregnancy: A pregnancy registry has been established. There are insufficient human data on the use of Veklury during pregnancy. COVID-19 is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, including preeclampsia, eclampsia, preterm birth, premature rupture of membranes, venous thromboembolic disease and fetal death.
Lactation: It is not known whether Veklury can pass into breast milk. Breastfeeding individuals with COVID-19 should follow practices according to clinical guidelines to avoid exposing the infant to COVID-19.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including Gilead’s ability to effectively manage the supply and distribution of Veklury, including in a manner to meet the demand of retail and specialty pharmacies for long-term care and skilled nursing facilities and to meet patient demand generally in both hospital and non-hospital settings; Gilead’s ability to initiate, progress or complete clinical trials within currently anticipated timelines or at all, and the possibility of unfavorable results from ongoing or additional clinical trials, including those involving Veklury; and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These and other risks, uncertainties and factors are described in detail in Gilead’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the year ended September 30, 2022, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and is cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Gilead, and Gilead assumes no obligation and disclaims any intent to update any such forward-looking statements.

U.S. full Prescribing Information for Veklury is available at www.gilead.com.

Veklury, Gilead and the Gilead logo are registered trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

For more information about Gilead, please visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com, follow Gilead on Twitter (@Gilead Sciences) or call Gilead Public Affairs at 1-800-GILEAD-5 or 1-650-574-3000.