In June 1981, news of a mysterious disease first began making headlines out of San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. People who were impacted developed unusual infections and grew sick as their immune systems failed. Those early days of what we now know as the HIV epidemic were marked by great fear and loss. By the time the first medicine was introduced in the United States in 1987, more than 5,000 people had died and the number of people impacted continued to balloon.

In the decades since then, Gilead has been committed to relentless innovation to treat and prevent HIV – and its scientific advances have helped reshape the course of the epidemic: The company created the first single-tablet daily HIV treatment in 2006. Prior to this innovation, the first therapies to treat HIV required people to often take more than 20 pills a day and deal with potentially numerous side effects. Six years later, in 2012, Gilead again brought another tool to fight the epidemic when its first HIV prevention medicine was approved.

Still a host of social factors, including stigma and access, have continued to contribute to the human toll and economic impact that HIV has had around the world. In the U.S. alone, 100 people die from HIV-related illnesses and 700 people are newly diagnosed each week. Thus, Gilead remains steadfastly committed to helping end the epidemic. 

Gilead is at the forefront of pioneering innovations in HIV, providing prevention and treatment options that help meet unmet needs. The company closed out 2024 earning the Breakthrough of the Year honor by Science magazine for one of its innovations in HIV.

For Gilead, this new chapter of innovation in HIV is driven by two primary themes: putting people first and long-acting prevention options. Putting people first means, in part, partnering with communities early in the clinical development process. Researchers worked with the community in the design of its groundbreaking PURPOSE HIV prevention program. For example, researchers worked with the community in the design of its groundbreaking PURPOSE HIV prevention program, which is considered to be the most comprehensive and diverse of any HIV prevention program conducted.

“To make substantial progress, we must be intentional about both the scientific and community-based factors that help shape the epidemic,” says Moupali Das, Vice President, Clinical Development, HIV Prevention & Pediatrics. “It’s critical to focus on groups who are disproportionately affected by HIV and who most need new options for prevention.”

Gilead also goes beyond investing in world-class science and putting people at the center of the drug development process. It also works with community organizations and global partners to reduce barriers to care and help enable access to its medicines.

“To help stop HIV, we need to help enable access to our medicines to everyone who could benefit, no matter who or where they are,” says Janet Dorling, Senior Vice President, Intercontinental Region, and Gilead Patient Solutions (GPS). Staying true to the company’s heritage of pioneering access programs, Gilead is committed to supplying its medicines where the need is greatest.

Ultimately, it will take a combination of bold, scientific innovation coupled with partnerships to help end the epidemic that has taken the lives of more than 42 million people since the 80s.

“We have a responsibility to help end one of the greatest public health challenges of our time,” says Daniel O’Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The opportunity to end the HIV epidemic has never been greater.”