By Chelsey Dulaney 

Gilead Sciences Inc. has agreed to buy privately-held EpiTherapeutics ApS for $65 million, giving the drug maker a foothold into the field of epigenetics.

Epigenetics is the study of how environmental influences alter whether particular genes are activated.

Denmark-based EpiTherapeutics develops cancer treatments, focusing on the enzymes involved in the regulation of transcription in cancer.

Gilead, meanwhile, has two key hepatitis C drugs, Sovaldi and Harvoni, which generated about $4.45 billion in sales in the first quarter of the year.

The drugs represent two of the most successful drug launches ever, marked by their high cure rates, fewer side effects and imposing price tags. But they also face increasing competition from new hepatitis C treatments like AbbVie Inc.'s Viekira Pak, which started sales in December. Merck & Co. has a hepatitis C treatment in the works.

Write to Chelsey Dulaney at Chelsey.Dulaney@wsj.com

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