Gilead(US:GILD) CAITONG SECURITIES·2025-03-15 13:54Core Insights - The report maintains a positive outlook on the HIV sector, highlighting Gilead's long-acting therapy, Lenacapavir, as a potential game-changer in HIV treatment and prevention [1][3]. Group 1: HIV Mechanism and Treatment - HIV is a retrovirus that selectively targets CD4+ cells, integrating its genetic material into the host's genome, leading to viral replication [5][7]. - The primary treatment for AIDS is the "cocktail therapy," which combines multiple antiviral drugs to minimize resistance and maximize viral suppression [5][7]. Group 2: Lenacapavir's Impact - Lenacapavir is Gilead's first long-acting HIV capsid inhibitor, showing promising results in clinical trials for treating multi-drug resistant HIV in adults [9][11]. - In the CAPELLA study, 83% of participants using Lenacapavir achieved a viral load of less than 50 copies/mL after 52 weeks, compared to only 11% in the placebo group [13][14]. - Lenacapavir has significant potential in post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), with studies indicating a 100% reduction in HIV infection risk among participants receiving biannual injections [20][21]. Group 3: Market Potential and Future Developments - The global HIV infection rate in 2023 was approximately 39.9 million, with a significant portion of the population being women [15][18]. - Lenacapavir's approval for PrEP is anticipated to set a new standard in HIV prevention, potentially generating substantial revenue for Gilead [23]. - Other recent advancements in HIV treatments include Merck's dual-drug therapy achieving positive results in Phase III trials and ViiV Healthcare's long-acting antibody therapy showing good efficacy [24][26].