Gilead's Strong Fundamentals Should ContinueBusiness continues to look strong for Gilead Sciences (GILD). The company's tenofovir-based HIV products (Viread, Truvada and Atripla) are number one and widening their lead. The clinical data continues to support the switching of patients from older generation molecules such as abacavir and lamivudine to Gilead's franchise. Also driving impressive trends are revised HIV treatment guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommending only Truvada (and Atripla) as the backbone of choice in naïve patients.These new guidelines, put into place in November 2008, downgraded Epzicom to an alternative medication based on cardiovascular risk and high rates of virologic failure. Finally, the new FDA chief, Margaret Hamburg, a former New York City Health Commissioner, has significant experience in combating infectious disease, such as HIV/AIDS, and we believe that this type of focused leadership only further adds to the ...