BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

Gilead: A matter of discipline

December 3, 2001 8:00 AM UTC

The sale of Gilead Sciences Inc.'s oncology assets to OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. last week brings GILD full circle back to its primary focus in infectious diseases. Nevertheless, GILD got its money's worth out of the $550 million acquisition of NeXstar Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 1999, as sales of NeXstar's Ambisome liposomal amphotericin alone made up the bulk of GILD's revenues through 2000, while NeXstar's European sales force is in place to market GILD's recently approved antiviral drugs.

GILD sales for 1999, 2000 and the first 3 quarters of 2001 totaled $411.5 million, with about 95% coming from sales of NeXstar products, primarily Ambisome...