There is still an unmet demand for antiviral drugs

Seung-Woo Lee, CEO of Gilead Science Korea

Hepatitis B/HIV, research aimed at “cure” rather than “management”

Best efforts to provide smooth supply of Remdesivir through consultation with the government

CEO Seung-Woo Lee

Currently, vaccines developed by AstraZeneca, Pfizer and others are a hot issue, but in the first half of last year, Remdesivir was ranked first as a keyword related to COVID-19.

 

Gilead, the developer of Veklury (Remdesivir), is a pharmaceutical company specializing in antiviral drugs.

 

It is leading and has pipelines in a variety of fields, from hepatitis B and C to HIV.

 

Last year, the company is expanding its anticancer treatment portfolio by acquiring Forty Seven, an anticancer drug company, and Immunomedics, an ADC development company.

 

This is the story of Lee Seung-woo ( 64 years old), CEO of Gilead, who has both'the original good and the latest trend' like killing two birds with one stone, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean subsidiary.

 

-You've been very busy in 2020 with Remdesivir? Last year, as an antivirus company, I felt a great sense of responsibility and mission from the beginning of COVID-19.

 

Upon receiving the news of the 'Wuhan virus' in January of last year, a clinical trial of Remdesivir in the headquarters' Asset Library began.

 

At the same time, we developed and expanded production in a short time, taking all risks.

 

Researchers have participated in various clinical studies in Korea, and many researchers around the world have contributed to the derivation of meaningful research results.

 

Based on these results, we have obtained approvals in various countries such as the United States and Korea, and in Korea, we are grateful that the MFDS, the KCDA, and other related ministries and medical staff have worked together to ensure smooth supply.

 

-Are there any problems with supply of Remdesivir? It is still supplying through consultation with the KCDA.

 

The situation has improved a lot since last October, but treatment is still important because the vaccine supply is not smooth yet.

 

Although there are difficulties due to the continuing pandemic, we will do our best to cooperate with the KCDA to provide a smooth supply.

 

-Remdesivir also had price issues In the early days, it was supplied free of charge to many countries, including Korea.

 

In the process of commercialization, fast supply was more important than anything else.

 

Accordingly, advanced countries, including Korea, are supplying them at the most reasonable price.

 

During the period designated by the WHO as a pandemic, it has been supplied to developing countries such as India and 129 low-income countries according to two price policies, which are provided at a low price without a license fee.

 

-Gilead is recognized as an antiviral company.

 

It has powerful pipelines such as Viread, Sovaldi, Harvoni, and Truvada.

 

However, diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV are now well managed The company believes that there is still unmet demand for the diseases mentioned.

 

Viread improved the quality of life of hepatitis B patients and improved prognosis, but has not yet reached a cure.

 

Gilead is not satisfied with the current treatment options, and is still undergoing clinical trials aiming to cure hepatitis B in many countries, including Korea.

 

There are good treatments for HIV as well, but they are investing more in research and thinking more about ways to cure them like hepatitis C.

 

It is also preparing to build a new pipeline.

 

In addition, in the anticancer field, it is carrying out various R&D through mergers and acquisitions of several specialized companies.

 

In addition, they are continuously working on research and development in areas such as inflammatory drugs and NASH.

 

-Is there an anticancer drug pipeline that is imminent for commercialization? Yescarta, which was introduced through the acquisition of Kite Pharma, is showing excellent treatment results based on good data.

 

This treatment is also under consideration for introduction to Korea.

 

Trodelvy, a breast cancer treatment acquired through the acquisition of Immunomedics, is also a breakthrough treatment, and Magrolimab, obtained through Forty Seven last year, is still in the clinical stage, but has high potential in the field of blood cancer.

 

-It seems that Gilead's drugs have not been postponed in registration of insurance benefits in Korea.

 

When communicating with the global headquarters, are there any cases of crisis such as Korea Passing? Any company has a global pricing policy, and I think it is important to create a balance for accessibility.

 

So far, drugs for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV have been well listed according to the domestic price policy.

 

And we will try to coordinate the products that will come in the future so that there is no disruption in the supply.

 

There are many good things about the domestic medical system, but there are also some difficulties in setting prices for new drugs.

 

I think the industry and the government should work together.