Profit up 22% at Gilead on pipeline strength

Gilead Sciences continued to show strength with its first-quarter results, reporting a 22% jump in profit on strong drug sales during the  period.

The US drugmaker's net income reached $586.6 million, or $0.65 per  share, versus $486.4 million, or $0.53 per share. R&D expenses were  $188.8 million, up 22%.

Turnover rose 21% to $1.53 billion. Of the firm's antiretroviral  products: Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir) jumped 23% to generate  $590.4 million in sales; Atripla (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir)  reached $509.9 million, rocketing 57%; Viread (tenofovir) was up 5% to  $160.6 million; Hepsera (adefovir) fell 12% to $72.7 million; and  Emtriva (emtricitabine) generated $7.2 million, down 14%. The antifungal  agent AmBisome (liposomal amphotericin B) was down 9% to $64.3 million,  while Letairis (ambrisentan), a once-daily treatment for pulmonary  arterial hypertension, shot up 95% to $39.6 million.