Gilead is likely preparing for remdesivir’s approval and launch, based on an analysis of GlobalData’s Job Analytics database. As an operational reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gilead ramped up hiring from January to March in 2020. However, there was a slight decline in April. Still, this accounted for one of the largest hiring increases in manufacturing and virology, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

As of May 18, 77% of these active jobs were located in North America, in roles such as R&D, competitive intelligence, clinical operations, process development, analytical operations, quality control, supply chain, and packaging. Additionally, there was a 35% increase in manufacturing roles and a 130% increase in active virology roles over the same time period. This indicates that Gilead is looking to expand and is likely preparing for the approval and launch of remdesivir.

Regulatory approval of remdesivir in the EU is expected in February 2021 for the treatment of COVID-19. Remdesivir has already received regulatory approval in Japan under an exceptional approval pathway and has received FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for the treatment of COVID-19.

Remdesivir is currently in three clinical trials being sponsored by Gilead and 17 trials with other sponsors either as a primary drug, an add-on, or a comparator. The results the of Phase III SOLIDARITY trial are expected on March 25, 2021.

Johanna Swanson, Product Manager at GlobalData, comments: “Remdesivir is projected to have global peak sales of $5B in 2024. These sales will mostly come from the US, although the successful development of a prophylactic vaccine will be likely to limit remdesivir’s total sales potential. Additionally, new therapeutic candidates that are more specific to COVID-19 or the resulting acute respiratory distress syndrome will also limit remdesivir’s total sales potential. This could be mitigated, as remdesivir has the potential to be used in combination with other therapies.”