Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir - Gilead Submits NDA to Japan’s PMDA

Gilead Submits New Drug Application to Japan’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency for Fixed-Dose Combination of Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir for Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 1 Infection

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Sep 24, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD, -1.26% today announced that the company has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to Japan’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) for approval of an investigational once-daily fixed-dose combination of the NS5A inhibitor ledipasvir (LDV) 90 mg and the nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir (SOF) 400 mg for the treatment of chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in adults. The data submitted in the NDA, which include a Japanese Phase 3 study showing 100 percent SVR12 rates, support the use of LDV/SOF for 12 weeks in treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients with chronic genotype 1 HCV infection, including those with cirrhosis. Patients who achieve SVR12 are cured of HCV infection. If approved, LDV/SOF would simplify HCV treatment for genotype 1 patients in Japan to one daily tablet, eliminating the need for interferon and ribavirin (RBV).

Primarily due to HCV, Japan has one of the highest rates of liver cancer of any industrialized country. Of the more than one million people in Japan chronically infected with HCV, 70-80 percent are infected with the genotype 1 strain of the virus.

The NDA is based on data from a Phase 3 clinical trial conducted in Japan (GS-US-337-0113) among 341 treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced genotype 1 patients. In the study, 100 percent (n=83/83) of treatment-naïve and 100 percent (n=88/88) of treatment-experienced patients receiving 12 weeks of LDV/SOF without RBV achieved SVR12. Adverse events observed with LDV/SOF without RBV were generally mild and included nasopharyngitis (28 percent), headache (6 percent) and malaise (5 percent).

The NDA is also supported by SVR12 results from three Phase 3 studies (ION-1, ION-2 and ION-3) evaluating eight, 12 or 24 weeks of LDV/SOF among genotype 1 HCV patients. Trial participants included patients from the United States, Europe and Puerto Rico who were treatment-naïve or who had failed previous treatment, including protease inhibitor-based regimens, and also included patients with compensated cirrhosis. Trial participants in the ribavirin-free arms (n=863) achieved SVR12 rates of 94 to 99 percent.

LDV/SOF is currently under regulatory review in the United States and European Union.

On June 27, 2014 Gilead submitted an NDA to Japan’s PMDA for SOF as a single agent in combination with RBV for the treatment of genotype 2 HCV infection. SOF as a single agent has been approved by regulatory authorities in the United States, European Union, Australia and Canada under the tradename Sovaldi®.

LDV/SOF and SOF are investigational products in Japan and their safety and efficacy have not yet been established.

About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative therapeutics in areas of unmet medical need. The company’s mission is to advance the care of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases worldwide. Headquartered in Foster City, California, Gilead has operations in North and South America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Forward-Looking Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the possibility of unfavorable results from additional clinical trials involving SOF or the LDV/SOF fixed-dose combination. Further, the PMDA and regulatory authorities in the United States and the European Union may not approve the LDV/SOF fixed-dose combination and the PMDA may not approve SOF as a standalone agent in Japan, and any marketing approvals, if granted, may have significant limitations on their use. These risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks are described in detail in Gilead’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2014, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Gilead, and Gilead assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

U.S. full prescribing information for Sovaldi is available at www.gilead.com.

Sovaldi is a registered trademark of Gilead Sciences, Inc.

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