Gilead Swings to Quarterly Loss on Higher Costs
July 30 2020 - 5:33PM
Dow Jones News
By Maria Armental
Gilead Sciences Inc. swung to a loss in the June quarter
following the acquisition of biotech company Forty Seven Inc. and
reflecting higher costs as it ramps up production of Covid-19 drug
remdesivir.
The $4.9 billion acquisition in April of Forty Seven, deepening
Gilead's pipeline of cancer drugs, was the first major outright
acquisition under Chief Executive Daniel O'Day, who took over the
helm last year with a mandate to jump-start sales growth and turn
around the company's sagging stock price.
Remdesivir was authorized for emergency use in the U.S. in May
and Gilead began charging for the drug in July.
On Thursday, Gilead said expenses more than doubled in the
quarter to $8.13 billion, outpacing revenue gains, largely due to
higher costs related to clinical trials and manufacturing ramp-up
expenses related to remdesivir.
Overall, Gilead reported a loss of $3.34 billion, or $2.66 a
share, compared with a year-earlier profit of $1.88 billion, or
$1.47 a share. On an adjusted basis, profit fell to $1.11 a
share.
Revenue fell 10% to $5.14 billion.
Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected a loss of 69 cents a
share, or adjusted profit of $1.44, on $5.29 billion in
revenue.
The drugmaker had warned that about $200 million in sales had
moved into the March quarter, primarily in the U.S., as customers
stocked up on prescription medicines during the coronavirus
pandemic.
Sales of HIV drug Biktarvy, which more than doubled in the March
quarter, rose 44% to $1.6 billion in the second quarter.
"Gilead's first half performance demonstrates the strength and
durability of our core HIV business, even as we navigated the
expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic," Mr. O'Day said in a
statement, adding that Gilead was seeing early signs of
recovery.
Joseph Walker contributed to this article.
Write to Maria Armental at maria.armental@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 30, 2020 17:18 ET (21:18 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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