Hepatitis Quest Moves From C to B Under Ex-Gilead Leaders

Gilead Sciences Inc. raked in $10 billion last year with its Sovaldi pill for hepatitis C. Many of the people responsible for the drug are now competing to repeat that success for a more common liver disease: hepatitis B.

At OnCore Biopharma, the team seeking a cure is an honor roll of Sovaldi graduates. The drug’s principal inventor, Michael Sofia, founded OnCore with a sales executive from Pharmasset Inc., where Sovaldi originated. At ContraVir Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Chimerix Inc., the leadership ranks are similarly peppered with Gilead and Pharmasset alumni.