Gilead Sciences has secured a good start to 2026 with its human immunodeficiency (HIV) medicines amid the backdrop of a generally positive first quarter.
During Q1 2026, Gilead’s total revenue took a 4% upturn year-on-year (YoY) to $7bn, exceeding the analyst consensus. Of the $6.9bn in total product sales recorded during this period, $5bn was brought in by the company’s HIV portfolio, which grew by 10% YoY.
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Gilead’s sales uptick was primarily driven by the ballooning trade of its daily HIV pill, Biktarvy (bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide), which brought in $3.36bn globally in Q1, trumping the $3.15bn made in 2025.
While the three-drug regimen is currently the top-selling HIV medicine, commanding more than half the indication’s overall sales share, new market arrivals are now making their way to patients. This includes MSD’s two-drug, no integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-reliant regimen, Idvynso (doravirine/islatravir), which secured US regulatory approval in April 2026.
GlobalData analyst, Anaelle Tannen, previously told Pharmaceutical Technology that Idvynso’s approval reflects a broader shift in the HIV treatment landscape away from traditional three-drug combinations toward simpler, potentially more tolerated options. However, Tannen caveated that Idvynso will be unlikely to displace Biktarvy as a frontline option in HIV, as physicians are more familiar with Biktarvy from both an efficacy and safety perspective.
PrEPs keep Gilead in the green
Alongside its HIV treatment assets, Gilead’s pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medicines have also had a positive start to the year, with Descovy (emtricitabine 200mg/tenofovir alafenamide 25mg) securing $807m in sales – up 38% from 2025’s rate of $586m and ahead of consensus estimates for the quarter.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on the continued launch of Gilead’s new, twice-yearly PrEP therapy, Yeztugo (lenacapavir), which made its market debut after preventing 100% of HIV cases in a late-stage clinical trial. Since Yeztugo’s US approval in June 2025, the drug has seen early success on the market – pulling in $166m this quarter.
Yeztugo’s growing uptake comes as the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, previously hailed Yeztugo as a “powerful tool” in the absence of an HIV vaccine.
As the launch continues, Gilead forecasts Yeztugo will reach blockbuster status by the year’s end, which Jefferies analysts called “doable” in an 8 May research note. They add that the PrEP market could be “larger than expected”, with Gilead being the company currently in the best position to grow this market.
Anito-cel launch piques industry interest
As Gilead’s HIV drugs continue to command the company’s growth, investors are now looking ahead to potential new launches and their expected impact on the company’s bottom line.
This includes anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel), a BCMA-directed, ex vivo CAR-T cell therapy for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM), which the company absorbed through its recent $7.8bn Arcellx takeover.
The drug is currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the agency aiming to make a call on the drug in December 2027. Gilead expects anito-cel to generate revenue in early 2027.
According to GlobalData analysts, anito-cel could be a “strong best-in-class contender” within the indication due to its high complete response rate, favourable safety profile and potential for community-based delivery.
Jefferies analysts echoed this sentiment in a research note, commenting that the drug has “differentiated safety” to Johnson & Johnson’s Carvykti (ciltacabtagene autoleucel), a direct competitor.
