John Martin Gilead Obituary / Death : We mourn with the family of John Martin, we understand how disheartening they could be right now, so we are sending our thoughts and prayers to the affected. Ethel B. Wesley December 5, 2022 (91 years old) View obituary. I took many of these principles with me in meetings with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patients and advocates when I later became CEO of Sarepta Therapeutics. Founded in 1987, Gilead Sciences was a small pharmaceutical company with a burn rate and zero revenue, according to Clifford Samuel, the company's former senior vice president of Global Patient Solutions, who started working at the company in 1996 as a sales representative. Long after I moved on, I saw how this quiet leader continued to envision and execute on the big, long-term strategies that he set in motion in Gileads adolescent years. Samuel, who led the company's program to make the company's medicine accessible to poorer countries, credits Martin for that initiative. Posted by 11 . Help sustain the local news you depend on. [4][1] Gilead is known for developing drugs such as Atripla (for HIV/AIDS) and commercializing Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) for the treatment of the liver virus hepatitis C. Martin is the recipient of a number of awards, including the Biotechnology Heritage Award (2017). Under Martin's leadership, Gilead also developed the first anti-influenza pill, Tamiflu, which was licensed to Hoffmann-La Roche, a Swiss health care company; and Truvada, which was approved by the FDA to treat HIV in 2004 and for HIV infection prevention in 2012. And he continued to play an active role as a biotech investor and enthusiast backing a number of fledgling startups, including the Kronos startup led by ex-Gilead R&D chief Norbert Bischofberger, where he joined the board and the investor syndicate. Palo Alto utilities customers could see rate increase of about $17 a month. and hepatitis C. Johns legacy, Daniel ODay, the companys chief executive, said in a statement, will be felt for generations to come, living on through the scientific progress made under his leadership and the programs he championed that expanded access to medications for people around the world.. One of the first things he did was drop the antisense oligonucleotide work. I got to see how he set direction and how the organization responded. He let the companys results speak volumes. Privacy | During Dr. Martins tenure, Gilead also created remdesivir in 2009, which proved ineffective in its original mission, to treat hepatitis C and other viruses, but which turned out to be a therapeutic weapon during the Covid-19 pandemic. As chairman working with his successor John Milligan at the reins of the company, Martin also steered Gilead Sciences in its acquisition of Kite Pharma, making Gilead a contender in cell therapy and oncology. When John asked you a question in a meeting, it sometimes felt like a test. October 28, 2022 (81 years old) View obituary. "a treatment for the liver virus hepatitis C that can cure 90% of patients and generated $12 billion in revenue in its first year on the market. Others took to Twitter to say goodbye. John.https://t.co/VF7v1jluhg, John Maraganore (@JMaraganore) March 31, 2021, John was an amazing leader, my most influential mentor and embodied a biotech success culture that fueled Gileads success. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210330006163/en/, Merck KGaA expects 2023 profit to slip as COVID demand wanes. Gilead rejected the government's complaint and has maintained that the patents were invalid. Gilead rejected the government's complaint and has maintained that the patents were invalid. [13][12][14], Sofosbuvir also is an excellent example of both the benefit and the challenge of specialty medications. 14 1938 in Santa Ana, CA. That wasnt his forte. Gilead, died Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at his residence. I saw his routines out of the corner of my eye. [13], Martin was president of the International Society for Antiviral Research (1998-2000); chairman of the California Healthcare Institute (2005-2006, 2009); and chairman of BayBio (1999-2001). In 1978, he joined Syntex Laboratories, which was headquartered in Palo Alto. John C. Martin, who became a billionaire by developing and marketing a daily single-dose pill that transformed H.I.V. A cause of death has not been announced. But the company attracted scrutiny from health care providers and the federal government during its growth. Press J to jump to the feed. Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. But he has provided a tremendous legacy for those that learned from him and a beautiful standard for us to strive toward, to measure ourselves against, and to carry forward. Martin first joined Gilead, a biopharmaceutical company based in Foster City, in 1990 as the vice president of its research and development department. He was a resident of Old Palo Alto. and hepatitis C. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. (In 1989, a book titled "Nucleotide Analogues As Antiviral Agents" was published through the American Chemical Society. Before, patients receiving antiretroviral treatment could take up to 32 pills a day, said Lou Lange, a partner at Asset Management Ventures and founder of CV Therapeutics, a Palo Alto-based biotech company that was later sold to Gilead in 2009 for $1.4 billion. Kevin Hou. He was 69. He is survived by his wife Lisa. He displayed an efficiency of words that was focused on communicating with clarity about a key concept or an action to be taken. View John R. Martin's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more. Gilead, died September 15, 2021. I was an early riser, often arriving at work between 6 am and 6:30 am. On one hand, this agent offers up to a 95% response rate as part of an interferon-free treatment regimen for hepatitis C.6 Generally speaking, it is more effective and better tolerated than alternative treatments.6 Unfortunately, the current per pill cost$1,000results in an $84,000 treatment course, creating barriers to therapy for many.6 Patients, providers, and payors alike have expressed outrage, and the debate has even drawn the attention of the US Congress.7 Despite these concerns, sofosbuvir rapidly has become a top seller in the United States. The companys biggest advance on the H.I.V. One Saturday morning on the day of Gileads annual company picnic, a beach event at Half Moon Bay, I stopped by the office in Foster City first to get a little work done. John unified Gilead around the easy-to-understand vision of one pill, once a day. It became the north star for the company. To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of The Sacramento Bee Obituaries - Legacy.com Some of his accolades include the American Chemical Society's Horace S. Isbell Award, which acknowledges significant research in carbohydrate chemistry and biochemistry; the International Society for Antiviral Research's Gertrude B. Elion Award for Scientific Excellence; and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service from the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School. According to a 2015 company report, Gilead had signed agreements with 11 India-based pharmaceutical manufacturers to develop generic versions of its hepatitis C medicine for 101 developing countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Place a Legal Notice 2161 Fullerton Road. During his tenure as CEO since 1996, Gilead shares rose 100-fold, and the stock posted a 157% gain just from 2013 to 2015. Of note is the development of Atripla, the first single-tablet regimen for treating HIV, which hit the market in 2006. "If you missed doses, the HIV virus could mutate and become resistant," said Lange, who continued to work on other projects with Martin after the sale of his company. My office was two doors down from John and next door to the other John, John F. Milligan the longtime chief operating officer and eventual CEO of Gilead. Privacy Policy John began his career at Gilead in 1990, as vice president of Research & Development. In 2014, Democrat lawmakers asked Martin to justify the company's $84,000 price tag of its hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi, which is equivalent to $1,000 per pill. They specifically asked Martin to "explain how the drug was priced, what discounts are being made available to low-income patients and government health programs, and the potential impact to public health by insurers blocking or delaying access to the medicine because of its cost. That was clear. Judge rules high school math policy violates state law, Following national trend, Palo Alto looks to establish gun-free zones, City: Pagemill Pastures' use of hydrant water was 'inadvertent' and occurred just once. FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today released the following statement on the death of John C. Martin, PhD, who served as the. began to bear fruit in 2004, when its Truvada was approved to treat the virus; the drug went on to gain approval as a means to prevent H.I.V. But Martin, 59, . "It was just a dream really. Kite founder and longtime biotech entrepreneur Arie Belldegrun, who worked with Martin on Kronos, sent this to Endpoints News: John was a brilliant life science leader and trusted advisor to many, myself included. He was a resident of Old Palo Alto. John told me he had planted the seed and that I just needed to convince the doctor that he could impact more patient lives by helping to educate other clinicians on his experience and how they could treat their patients optimally using Gileads drugs. Martin's death was announced by Gilead, where he served as CEO from 1996 to 2016. All rights reserved. "As chief executive officer from 1996 through 2016, he steered the company through a period of remarkable growth," Gilead wrote in a statement announcing Martin's death.During his time with Gilead, Martin also expanded access to HIV medication in developing countries. Astolfo E Valenzuela. His tenure in the pharmaceutical industry spanned at least four decades. On behalf of my wife Rebecka, myself, our entire Belldegrun/Funt family and our extended family of colleagues across companies,we extend our deepest sympathies to Johns family and everyone who was fortunate enough to know him. When I was serving in several roles as part of a lean and aspirational management team at Gilead in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Martin was the boss. This was exemplified during the development and commercialization of Gileads initial HIV and HBV drugs. When he died last week at age 70, Martin was essentially unknown to the public and not very well understood within his own industry. While at Syntex, he decided to strengthen his business understanding and pursued an MBA in Marketing from Golden Gate University.