August 14, 2018
Gilead Sciences Announces Executive Promotions
– Gregg Alton Appointed Chief Patient Officer –
– Diana Brainard, MD, Promoted to Senior Vice President, HIV and
Emerging Viral Infections –
– Andrew Cheng, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, to Leave Gilead –
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 14, 2018--
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) today announced that Gregg Alton
has been appointed Chief Patient Officer, a newly created role that will
facilitate access to the company’s medicines and increase focus on
reaching patients. The company also announced that Diana Brainard, MD,
has been promoted to Senior Vice President, HIV and Emerging Viral
Infections, and that Andrew Cheng, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, has
decided to leave Gilead to pursue another opportunity.
Mr. Alton joined the company nearly 20 years ago and was the architect
of its access program, which has enabled Gilead’s HIV medicines to reach
more than 11 million people in the developing world. He has helped shape
the organization in a number of executive positions, including as
general counsel, and more recently, leading the company’s international
commercial operations and corporate affairs groups. Prior to joining
Gilead, he was an attorney at the law firm of Cooley Godward, LLP, where
he specialized in mergers and acquisitions, corporate partnerships, and
corporate finance transactions for healthcare and information technology
companies. Mr. Alton received a bachelor's degree from the University of
California, Berkeley, and holds a JD from Stanford University.
“Gregg has a deep and broad understanding of the company and an
unparalleled commitment to enabling access to our medicines for millions
of people in both the developed and developing world,” said John F.
Milligan, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gilead.
“Bringing together into one organization a number of groups – including
Access Operations & Emerging Markets, Public Affairs & Advocacy,
Government Affairs, Medical Affairs, Digital Patient Solutions and the
company’s commercial operations in certain countries in Asia – will help
us better serve patients.”
Dr. Brainard joined Gilead in 2010. She has extensive training and
experience in immunology, infectious diseases and drug development.
Under her leadership, Gilead received regulatory approval of four
chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapies in a period of less than four
years. She was promoted to Vice President, Clinical Research, Liver
Diseases, in 2015. Dr. Brainard received a bachelor’s degree from Brown
University, holds an MD from Tulane University School of Medicine, and
completed her residency and fellowship in internal medicine and
infectious diseases at Harvard University. Dr. Brainard trained as an
infectious diseases physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and was
on faculty at Harvard Medical School, where her NIH-funded research
focused on translational models and T-cell trafficking in HIV infection.
In addition to her clinical and research activities in Boston, she
helped establish an immunology laboratory and train researchers at the
Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal in
Durban, South Africa.
“Diana is an astute, knowledgeable and experienced clinician and
researcher with broad expertise across the field of infectious diseases.
She played an instrumental role in the rapid clinical development and
approval of Gilead’s HCV medicines,” said John McHutchison, MD, Chief
Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development. “The vision and
leadership that she brings to this role will enable Gilead to continue
to innovate, and advance new therapies for people with HIV and other
emerging viruses.”
Dr. Cheng joined Gilead in 1999 to lead the company’s development-stage
programs in HIV/AIDS. He received additional responsibility for the
company’s Development Operations organization in 2009 and was named
Executive Vice President in 2015. Dr. Cheng was appointed Chief Medical
Officer in March.
“During his time at Gilead, Andrew played a definitive role in bringing
forward new medicines that transformed the lives of millions of people
with serious illnesses,” said Dr. Milligan. “Andrew played an especially
critical part in advancing our portfolio of HIV products, and we’re
extremely grateful for his many contributions and wish him all the best
in the future. We are very pleased that Diana will lead this important
therapeutic area for us going forward, as we seek to advance our next
generation of HIV medicines, including potential options for prevention
and perhaps one day a cure.”
Dr. Cheng will remain at Gilead until September 7 to help with the
transition of his duties. Mr. Alton and Dr. Brainard will take on their
new roles effective immediately.
About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that
discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of
unmet medical need. The company strives to transform and simplify care
for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead has
operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in
Foster City, California.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release 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. These risks,
uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ
materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. The
reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements.
These and other risks are described in detail in Gilead’s Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2018, as filed with
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking
statements are based on information currently available to Gilead, and
Gilead assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements.
For more information on Gilead Sciences, please visit the company’s
website at www.gilead.com,
follow Gilead on Twitter (@GileadSciences) or call Gilead Public Affairs
at 1-800-GILEAD-5 or 1-650-574-3000.
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Source: Gilead Sciences, Inc.
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