Gilead Expands Availability of Veklury® (remdesivir) to Non-Hospital Outpatient Facilities

Foster City, Calif., February 8, 2022 – Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced Veklury® (remdesivir) is available for ordering by all hospital and qualified non-hospital outpatient facilities. Access for this expanded patient population follows the FDA’s approval of a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Veklury for the treatment of non-hospitalized adult and adolescent patients who are at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. The ability to treat patients in outpatient facilities will help meet the unprecedented demand for early treatment brought on by the current COVID-19 surge. Please see below for the U.S. Indication and Important Safety Information for Veklury.

Qualified non-hospital, outpatient facilities are those that have previously administered monoclonal antibodies or completed a certification through AmerisourceBergen Specialty Division (ASD) and have the capabilities to administer a 3-day course of IV infusion, including patient monitoring and management of adverse events.  These entities should contact ASD at C19Therapies@AmerisourceBergen.com or 1-800-746-6273 to order Veklury for nonhospital use. Outpatient centers that have not previously administered monoclonal antibodies will need to complete a verification process for qualification with ASD (Veklury Non-Hospital Access Attestation Form). Most accounts will be able to order within 24 hours of completing this step.

All hospitals should continue ordering through their distributor arrangement with AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal or McKesson. Retail pharmacies are not able to purchase Veklury.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) assigned a new HCPCS code of J0248 for 3-day IV infusions of Veklury in the outpatient setting to help facilitate payment and simplify claims documentation and processing for Medicare Part B patients. Please refer to specific payer and state guidelines for relevant coverage, coding and reimbursement requirements.  

About Veklury
Veklury (remdesivir 100 mg for injection) is a nucleotide analog invented by Gilead, building on more than a decade of the company’s antiviral research. Veklury is the antiviral standard of care for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. At this time, more than half of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States are treated with Veklury. It can help reduce disease progression across a spectrum of disease severity and enable hospitalized patients to recover faster, freeing up limited hospital resources.

Veklury directly inhibits viral replication inside of the cell by targeting the SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA polymerase. On entering the body Veklury is transformed into the active metabolite remdesivir triphosphate, which is then incorporated into the viral RNA and stops replication of the virus within the host cell. As new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern emerge around the world, Gilead continuously evaluates the effectiveness of Veklury against viral variants. In vitro laboratory testing in multiple independent studies shows that Veklury retains activity against the Omicron variant. To date, no major genetic changes have been identified in any of the known variants of concern that would significantly alter the viral RNA polymerase targeted by Veklury. Gilead continues to experimentally evaluate the activity of Veklury against identified SARS-CoV-2 variants through in vitro antiviral testing. Veklury’s antiviral activity has been confirmed in vitro against all major previously identified variants of SARS-CoV-2 including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon and Omicron.

Veklury is approved or authorized for temporary use in approximately 50 countries worldwide. To date, Veklury and generic remdesivir have been made available to more than 10 million patients around the world, including 7 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.

U.S. Indication for Veklury
Veklury® (remdesivir 100 mg for injection) is indicated for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older and weighing at least 40 kg) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, 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.

Veklury should only be administered in settings in which health care providers have immediate access to medications to treat a severe infusion or hypersensitivity reaction, such as anaphylaxis, and the ability to activate the emergency medical system (EMS), as necessary. Veklury must be administered by intravenous infusion. Veklury is contraindicated in patients who are allergic to Veklury or any of its components. 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. Monitor patients under close medical supervision for hypersensitivity reactions during and following administration of Veklury. Symptoms may include hypotension, hypertension, tachycardia, bradycardia, hypoxia, fever, dyspnea, wheezing, angioedema, rash, nausea, diaphoresis, and shivering. Slower infusion rates (maximum infusion time ≤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.

Drug interactions

• Drug interaction trials of Veklury and other concomitant medications have not been conducted in humans.

Dosage and administration

• Dosage: For adults and pediatric patients ≥12 years old and weighing ≥40 kg: 200 mg on Day 1, followed by once-daily maintenance doses of 100 mg from Day 2 administered only via intravenous infusion. Veklury should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis of symptomatic COVID-19.
• Treatment duration:
  • For hospitalized patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation and/or ECMO, the recommended total treatment duration is 10 days.
  • For hospitalized patients not requiring 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 for up to 5 additional days for a total treatment duration of up to 10 days.
  • For non-hospitalized patients diagnosed with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death, the recommended total treatment duration is 3 days.
• 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.
• Dose preparation and administration: See full Prescribing Information.

Pregnancy and lactation

• Pregnancy: There are insufficient human data on the use of Veklury during pregnancy. Pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19 are at risk for serious morbidity and mortality. Veklury should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk for the mother and the fetus.
• 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 for the use of Veklury in non-hospitalized patients in the United States; the possibility of unfavorable results from ongoing or additional clinical trials involving Veklury; the risk that physicians may not see the benefits of Veklury treatment in the non-hospital outpatient setting; 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 quarter ended September 30, 2021, 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 involves 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.