Gilead Sciences, a US-based biopharmaceutical company, participated in the China International Import Expo for the first time in 2022 and showcased many innovative products related to medical fields such as virology, oncology, inflammatory diseases, viral hepatitis, and AIDS.

Two new drugs highlighted by Gilead during last year's expo, Trodelvy® and AmBisome®, were approved for marketing in China earlier this year.

The booth of Gilead at the fifth CIIE. [Photo/CIIE Bureau]

Trodelvy® has laid an important foundation for the company to establish its oncology business in China, increase research and development investment in the field of oncology, and expand innovation cooperation, said Jim Jin, vice-president of Gilead Sciences and general manager of its China operations.

The CIIE has become an important channel for the world's leading pharmaceutical companies to enter the Chinese market. "Here, small pills can also achieve the 'big dream of health'," said Jin.

After the fifth expo, Gilead further boosted its development in China by establishing a local R&D team and making available nearly 200 R&D positions in less than a year.

The company is now planning to gradually increase R&D investment in China, expand clinical research cooperation, enhance local R&D capabilities, forge strong connections with Chinese medical resources and partners, and strive to make innovative products that are more in line with local needs.

This year, Gilead will expand its CIIE booth area five-fold, triple the size of the innovative product display area, and open a separate area to present its future research and product launch plans. The company will also be debuting several innovative oncology drugs and HIV therapeutics.

Among these products is Sunlenca® (Lenacapavir), a first-of-its-type, long-acting HIV-1 nucleocapsid inhibitor. Unlike most antiviral drugs that act on only one stage of viral replication, Lenacapavir can block the viral replication at multiple stages of the HIV-1 viral life. Sunlenca® has already been approved in the European Union and is currently the only HIV therapy in the world that can be used just twice a year.

By Zhao Guangmei