Top Gilead cancer exec undeterred on CAR-T

Gilead Sciences made a serious move into the cancer business last year with its $12 billion acquisition of Kite Pharma. But sales for Yescarta, Gilead’s CAR-T cell therapy, are still just a relatively small fraction of the company’s overall sales.

“Gilead’s foray into cancer cell therapy looks like an attempt to appease investors who were pushing management to find the next big thing,” Baird biotech analyst Brian Skorney said.

But Dr. Alessandro Riva, Gilead’s top oncology exec, told STAT’s Adam Feuerstein that the Kite investment will pay off — in time. He believes Gilead will ultimately be able to grow its oncology business to rival players like Merck, Roche, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

“There is a strong scientific reason to believe that we are going in the right direction, towards the cure for cancer,” Riva said.