Gilead Gets FDA Approval for Kite’s Novel Cancer Therapy

Gilead Sciences Inc. won approval from U.S. regulators for a personalized blood cancer treatment, a key first step as the company tries to shift its business into the cancer field.

The treatment, known as CAR-T therapy, involves extracting a patient’s immune system cells and modifying them to attack blood cancers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Gilead’s treatment, called Yescarta, for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma who didn’t respond to other treatments.

Gilead, which made its name with blockbuster antiviral treatments for HIV and hepatitis C, is now attempting to build a cancer business. It acquired Yescarta as part of ...