13 January 2020
Gilead Sciences today announced the appointment of Belinda Wood as the new Senior Director of Government Affairs for Gilead Sciences in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ).
In this role, Ms Wood will be responsible for the design and implementation of important Government initiatives for Gilead Sciences ANZ. She will be leading advocacy efforts with policy makers on the challenges facing patients living with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and C and other liver related diseases, and cancer, as well as advancing important federal health policies to ensure patient access to the best available therapies.
Ms Wood joins Gilead Sciences ANZ with more than 25 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector. Her recent role as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia saw her working in partnership with industry and government to shape national medicines policy and facilitate access to essential medicines.
Prior to this, Ms Wood was CEO of the Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (GBMA). During her tenure, she successfully guided the complex change process that saw the Generic Medicines Industry Association form strategic agreements with Government and expand to form GBMA, the premier Australian association for generics and biosimilars. On her departure from the GBMA, Health Minister Greg Hunt praised Ms Wood’s leadership at the organisation.
Ms Wood has also held senior policy and advisory roles with business consultancies including Commercial Eyes and Market Advisory Group, after starting in the pharmaceutical industry as a sales representative. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holds a BMedSc in Pharmacology and has been a member of several industry committees including the Drug Utilisation Sub Committee (DUSC) and TGA Industry Working Group.
Ms Wood said about her new role “Access to medicines is my passion and I am excited to join Gilead at this important time. Gilead has a strong portfolio of medicines and I’ve long admired its commitment to making these medicines available to all Australians. I am looking forward to ensuring Gilead continues to deliver real outcomes for patients through collaborative and constructive engagement with politicians, policy makers and stakeholders.”
Gilead Sciences ANZ played a critical role working with the Australian government to secure reimbursed universal access to HCV direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies for the estimated 210,000 Australians living with the disease at the time.1 Gilead Sciences ANZ continues to work with healthcare professionals, academics and advocates to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for people living with HCV. Gilead Sciences ANZ also worked with the government and the HIV community to secure reimbursed access to all Australians for HIV prevention therapy (PrEP, or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) in 2018, supporting Australia’s progress toward the UNAIDS’ 90-90-90 HIV treatment target.2
Jaime McCoy, General Manager, Gilead Sciences ANZ, said “We are excited to have Belinda join the Gilead team and support our ambition to transform the lives of Australian patients.
Belinda is a collaborative leader with a history of success, demonstrating integrity in working with policymakers and government to find solutions to complex healthcare challenges. I know that she is determined to ensure that patients can best benefit from Gilead’s diverse range of medicines and treatments.”
In Australia, Gilead Sciences ANZ invests more than $1.5 million in grants and research to support local R&D and is currently one of the top 10 investors in clinical trials in Australia. Gilead Sciences ANZ supports a range of investigator research and local grants in Australia, including the Gilead Australia Fellowship Research Grants Program, the Kirby Institute’s David Cooper Memorial Fund, the Kirby Institute’s EPIC-NSW study, the Clontarf Foundation, the Gilead Australia Together Grant and the COMMIT community grants program.
Ends
About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercialises innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead has operations in more than 40 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.
Based in Melbourne, Gilead Sciences ANZ. employs more than 70 people in Australia.
GILEAD and the GILEAD Logo are registered trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc.
For more information on Gilead Sciences, please visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com, or follow Gilead on Twitter (@GileadSciences)
Gilead Sciences Pty Ltd. Level 6, 417 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004. AU-HBV-2019-12-0002.
Date of preparation January 2020.
References
1. Kirby Institute. Burnet Institute. Australia’s progress towards hepatitis C elimination. Annual Report 2019.
2. UNAIDS. 90-90-90 Treatment for All. Available at http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/909090 . Last accessed September 2019
