Business

Gilead Q2'26: BIC/LEN nears approval as weekly HIV pipeline expands

Gilead Sciences Q2 2026 earnings call, held on August 4, 2026, centered on three near-term binary events — an FDA decision on bictegravir plus lenacapavir...

Gilead Q2'26: BIC/LEN nears approval as weekly HIV pipeline expands

Gilead Sciences' recent Q2 2026 earnings call centered on three near-term binary events — an FDA decision on bictegravir plus lenacapavir (BIC/LEN) due by August 27, a December 23 PDUFA date for anito-cel in multiple myeloma, and Phase III data supporting a 2027 launch for the once-weekly oral HIV regimen islatravir plus lenacapavir (ISL/LEN) — while Chief Medical Officer Dietmar Berger disclosed that GS-1720 has received FDA clearance to advance into Phase II, enabling two parallel wholly-owned once-weekly oral HIV programs to move forward simultaneously.

Gilead Sciences' Q2 2026 earnings call highlighted three near-term pipeline catalysts: an August 27 FDA decision on bictegravir plus lenacapavir (BIC/LEN), a December 23 PDUFA date for anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel), and plans for a 2027 launch of the once-weekly oral HIV regimen islatravir plus lenacapavir (ISL/LEN). Management also disclosed that GS-1720 has received FDA clearance to advance into Phase II, expanding Gilead's wholly owned once-weekly oral HIV pipeline.

Total product sales reached USD 7.6 billion for the quarter, up 8% year-on-year, with base business sales (excluding Veklury) growing 10%; Gilead raised full-year base business sales guidance to USD 29.8 billion to USD 30.1 billion.

Key Strategic Signals

BIC/LEN FDA decision by August 27 — first dedicated switch regimen in Gilead's treatment portfolio: Berger confirmed the FDA has granted bictegravir/lenacapavir priority review, with a decision expected by August 27. Management said the once-daily single-tablet combination of two orthogonal mechanisms — integrase inhibition and capsid inhibition — is intended specifically for virally suppressed patients switching from existing regimens, a segment where Biktarvy (bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide) already holds a dominant position. Management said the regimen is intended for virally suppressed patients switching from existing therapy, expanding Gilead's treatment options beyond Biktarvy.

GS-1720 FDA clearance enables two parallel wholly-owned once-weekly oral HIV Phase II programs: Berger disclosed that GS-1720, an investigational oral long-acting integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI), has recently received FDA clearance to proceed to further clinical studies. This enables Gilead to initiate two Phase II trials of wholly-owned once-weekly oral regimens: lenacapavir plus GS-3242 (a separate investigational oral INSTI) before year-end, and lenacapavir plus GS-1720 in early 2027. Berger said the company intends to advance the combination with the most compelling profile to Phase III, positioning these programs as potential successors to ISL/LEN — which is partnered with Merck — and as preferred options across both treatment-naive and virally suppressed populations given the well-established safety and resistance profile of INSTI-based backbones.

The AllSci BriefSystematic R&D and deal news. Daily.

ISL/LEN Phase III non-inferiority data support 2027 regulatory filing: Phase III ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 data for the once-weekly oral combination of islatravir plus lenacapavir were presented simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine at the International AIDS Society conference in Brazil. Both studies met primary non-inferiority endpoints versus Biktarvy and physician's choice oral antiretroviral regimens, respectively. Berger said global regulatory filings are being pursued as quickly as possible, with potential launch in 2027.

Anito-cel December 23 PDUFA date; iMMagine-3 enrollment complete, 2L filing possible in 2027: Launch preparations for anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel), a BCMA-directed CAR-T therapy, are described as fully underway ahead of its December 23 PDUFA date in fourth-line or later relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Berger cited a 98% first-pass manufacturing success rate and a global median turnaround time of 18 days from the Phase II iMMagine-1 study. Separately, enrollment of iMMagine-3, a Phase III study in second-line multiple myeloma, was completed this quarter, enabling a potential regulatory filing in that earlier-line indication as early as 2027. Gilead completed the Arcellx acquisition in April, giving it full ownership of anito-cel and the D-Domain binder platform.


Access the AllSci platform to explore the science behind the news.


Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article