Martin was director of antiviral chemistry at Bristol-Myers Squibb from 1984 to 1990.
Gilead Sciences Inc
Martin joined the American biotechnology company Gilead Sciences in 1990 as its vice president for research and development. He was Gilead's CEO from 1996 to 2016. He became chairman in May 2008, and executive chairman in 2016. At Gilead, Martin helped to develop Atripla, a single pill combining Gilead's drug Truvada with Bristol-Myers Squibb's Sustiva. Truvada and Sustiva were already "the most widely prescribed antiretroviral treatment regimen in the U.S." for the treatment of HIV and AIDS. One of the benefits of a combined pill was that patients would be more likely to consistently comply with treatment by taking a full dose of the prescribed drugs, which in turn would lessen the chance that drug-resistant HIV strains would develop. The two companies announced that they would collaborate on the drug in 2004. An initial formulation of once-a-day single-dose Atripla was approved by the FDA on July 12, 2006. Purchase of Atripla was included in the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program. In 2014, Martin led the commercialization of Sovaldi — "a treatment for the liver virus hepatitis C that can cure 90% of patients and generated $12 billion in revenue in its first year on the market." Martin is credited with taking Sovaldi from "zero-to-blockbuster in a couple of months" with profits topping $10 billion for 2014. However, in April 2014, U.S. House Democrats Henry Waxman, Frank Pallone, Jr., and Diana DeGette wrote Martin questioning the $84,000 price for Sovaldi. They specifically asked Martin to "explain how the drug was priced, what discounts are being made available to low-income patients and government health programs, and the potential impact to public health by insurers blocking or delaying access to the medicine because of its cost." Sofosbuvir is cited as an example of how specialty drugs present both benefits and challenges.
In 1990, Martin received the American Chemical Society's Isbell Award, "for his applications of carbohydrate chemistry to the design of medicinally active nucleosides and nucleotides." In 2003, Martin received the International Society for Antiviral Research's Gertrude B. Elion Award for Scientific Excellence in 2003. He was also an Award Winner and National Finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2008 Martin became a member of the National Academy of Engineering, "for the invention, development, and commercialization of anti-viral medicines, especially treatments for HIV/AIDS." The 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service was presented to John Martin by the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, for his work on the development of anti-HIV medications and on AIDS prevention through Pre-exposure prophylaxis. In 2015 Martin was named by investment firm Morningstar as best CEO. During his tenure as CEO since 1996, Gilead shares rose 100-fold, and the stock posted a 157% gain just from 2013 to 2015. In 2017, Martin was chosen to receive the Biotechnology Heritage Award from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and the Chemical Heritage Foundation.
