Month: April 2025

In 2006, Tomas Cihlar knew all too well that despite initial successes with combination treatment, HIV was firmly holding ground around the globe and existing therapies were limited. He was 12 years into his virology research career at Gilead and the first daily single tablet regimen for HIV treatment was still awaiting approval. Treatment options for people living with HIV at the time were a raft of daily medications that often carried intolerable side-effects, or the virus became resistant to the medications.

“That’s what kept the research team at Gilead awake and stirred our urgent imperative to create something different,” recalls Tomas, now Senior Vice President, Research Virology.

Ten arduous years later, the researchers made significant progress toward their goal by creating a molecule that has the potential to help revolutionize the fight against HIV.

“In the beginning, if somebody told me that we’d end up where we are now, I would say, ‘You’re a dreamer,’” Tomas says, smiling. “What we ended up discovering was completely novel.”

At the time, most existing HIV drugs worked by interfering with the viral enzymes that HIV uses to multiply and spread throughout the body. But Tomas envisioned a different solution – one that disrupted the viral capsid, the cone-shaped protein structure that holds the genes essential for viral reproduction. Most scientists thought the capsid was too difficult to target, but the Czech-born biochemist was convinced otherwise. “The capsid protects the genetic material of the virus. If you can interfere with that, you could potentially stop the virus,” he explains.

So the team began screening hundreds of thousands of compounds, looking for one that could disrupt the capsid’s function. But the ones they initially found were too weak to be effective as future drugs.

By 2009, the researchers almost reached a dead end when they couldn’t seem to find a solution. But then a poster at a medical conference in January 2010 caught Tomas’ eye and provided an ‘aha moment’ and some new inspiration.

“That breathed new life into the research project and gave us new direction,” he says.

In the six years that followed, Gilead scientists synthesized and tested over 4,000 molecules which led to the discovery of a novel molecule that proved to be remarkably potent at extremely low concentrations. The new molecule, when injected into the human body, was found to be very stable and retained its viral-fighting properties for several months without degrading.

“The Gilead story is a classic tale of innovation, collaboration, resilience and determination and this was definitely a breakthrough point,” Tomas acknowledges.

Fittingly, Breakthrough, The Quest for Life-Changing Medicines is the name of a newly released book about innovation in drug discovery that examines eight medications that have had a significant impact on patients around the world. Written by physician-scientist and biopharmaceutical executive Dr. William Pao, the book devotes a chapter to Gilead’s new HIV medicine, while detailing the improbable journey and numerous obstacles that stood in the way of Gilead scientists.

“There have been a number of medicines for HIV, but this is really transformative,” William says. “It’s a completely different way of thinking about the virus and attacking it. Its discovery also required embracing serendipity, that is, making an insoluble molecule with a long half-life into a subcutaneous medicine.”

As Pao notes throughout his book, the process of drug discovery and development involves many people and many trials.

“Every project in drug development has its ups and downs. Teams persist with resilience and determination not for their own glory, but for the benefits of patients,” he says.

And this Gilead story is no exception.

“The sheer determination of hundreds of people not only in Gilead research and development, but also external partners and all the participants in clinical trials, contributed to the outcome,” says Tomas. “This is a story that really shows people how things can turn out when we set our mind to an ambitious goal and work together to achieve it.”

Results of recent clinical trials show that the drug has the potential to prevent HIV transmission altogether. The company has devised a global access strategy for its supply in low- and middle-income countries if it obtains regulatory approval.

Originally published by Gilead Sciences.

With a workforce of almost 50,000 employees, leading apparel manufacturer Gildan is no stranger to the immense talent that it hosts – from employees on the factory floor, to leadership.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we interviewed one such leader – Andrea Pirie Woodbridge, Chief Financial Officer of Manufacturing, located in Honduras. In her role, Andrea leads the finance function for the manufacturing group at Gildan, driving business performance while balancing costs and output in Gildan’s various facilities around the world. With a dynamic career spanning over 25 years and 5 countries, Andrea’s contributions to Gildan have been influential, both for the business and for its people.

What led you to pursue a career in finance?

I would describe my pursuit of finance as a combination of hard work and serendipity. I graduated from university with a Bachelor’s degree in business, and then acquired a Master’s of Business Administration. As a young professional with a business background, I landed my first ever internship in finance, and from then, there was no looking back.

I went on to work with a large manufacturing company, where I had the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from people from all around the world and support various business functions including marketing, innovation, IT, and manufacturing. As I experienced and learned more, the scope of my role grew, and eventually, I was ready to take on higher level leadership roles.

Can you talk about some of the opportunities and challenges you’ve encountered working in the fields of finance and manufacturing?

Even from very early on in my career, I realized that finance, especially in positions above the managerial level, was a field dominated by men. In my experience, most women would either slow down or completely drop out of the workforce after a certain point due to conflicting priorities and lack of proper accommodations of these priorities. Moreover, in manufacturing and finance specifically, there are often limited opportunities for flexible work, adding even more barriers to women’s development.

To circumvent these barriers, I sought out opportunities to reach the potential I knew I had. I fondly remember when, as a junior employee reporting to a leader, I offered to take responsibility of a task intended for someone at a much higher level. This simple act of asking for an opportunity and then delivering helped accelerate my career. To this day, I continue to employ this strategy of taking ownership and encourage my team to do the same.

Can you tell us more about your experience leading the finance function in Honduras?

In my five years leading finance for the manufacturing group at Gildan, I have constantly been impressed by the sheer amount of talent that our Company attracts, and with my role as a leader, I strive to strengthen the pathways that can allow this diversity of talent to collaborate and thrive.

I create an atmosphere in my teams where employees can bring their true selves to work, where diversity can interact to bring the best out of each individual. In fact, one of the most rewarding parts of being a leader is seeing my teams come up with creative solutions to overcome challenges, something which I believe is possible largely due to our diverse talent.

What does Women’s History Month mean to you, and why do you think it is important to celebrate?

In addition to celebrating the contributions of women across different industries and areas, Women’s History Month is a chance to bring to the forefront gender parity and equity issues that still exist in today’s society and workplace. One size does not fit all, and this celebration allows us to participate in the larger conversation, as well as take collective action to accommodate talent and diversity of all types. After all, diversity encourages innovation and makes groups stronger.

In your opinion, how can we create a workplace that’s more inclusive towards women?

In my experience, inclusivity begins with good leadership, and in this regard, Gildan is impressively ahead of the curve. We have strong female employees at all levels, and it is our role as leaders to nurture this talent by levelling the playing field.

For instance, one of my most effectivities strategies is encouraging candidates, right from the interview stage, to be outspoken and take credit for their work, shedding expectations that society often has from women, and instead creating an environment where they may be their true selves. Small steps such as these can make large differences in fostering inclusive and transparent environments, where employees really thrive on their merit. 

To meet more of Gildan’s employees, visit the Careers page.