Gilead China General Manager Rogers Luo Departs; Successor Search Underway

According to media reports, Johanna Mercier, Global Chief Commercial Officer of Gilead Sciences, announced in an internal company email that Mr. Rogers Luo, Global Vice President and General Manager of China, has decided to leave Gilead to pursue external opportunities. His last day at Gilead will be September 10.

Johanna stated that, with the assistance of Mr. Luo Yongqing, Gilead China has grown into an organization of more than 450 employees over the past few years. This team has successfully launched eight new products in the fields of HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis, four of which were included in the National Reimbursement Drug List last year. To date, these efforts have benefited more than 120,000 patients in China. Currently, the China business has become a core pillar of Gilead’s global growth strategy. Recently, Rogers has played a significant role in introducing remdesivir to China for clinical trials and local manufacturing.

It is understood that Gilead Sciences will immediately commence the search for Mr. Luo Yongqing’s successor. In the interim, Jacopo Andreose, Senior Vice President of Global Intercontinental Operations at Gilead Sciences, will temporarily oversee the China team and business operations.

In September 2016, Mr. Luo Yongqing joined Gilead Sciences as Vice President, Global and General Manager, China.

Previously, he served as Vice President of Roche Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Roche, Mr. Luo Yongqing dedicated ten years to Novartis Pharmaceuticals, ultimately serving as General Manager of Novartis’ North China Region.

Since joining Gilead, he has fully leveraged his expertise and talents in market access, commercial operations, and key account management, driving the development of Gilead China.

• In April 2018, Gilead’s blockbuster hepatitis C drug Sovaldi was approved in China;
• In December 2018, Gilead’s Harvoni (Xiafaning) was approved in China;

Gilead Sciences officially established its China headquarters in Shanghai in 2016 for commercial operations, and it can be said that Gilead China was built single-handedly by Rogers Luo.