Gilead’s awkward relationship with the feds
Yesterday, the Trump administration said it would provide HIV prevention drugs for free to people who should be taking them but don’t have prescription drug insurance coverage. What’s not mentioned in the Department of Health and Human Services’ 654-word press release is that the pills in question result from a donation from Gilead Sciences.
That’s perhaps because Gilead and HHS are in a strange legal situation. The government claims Truvada, an HIV-prevention pill that brings in more than $2 billion a year for Gilead, infringes federal patents. Gilead disagrees, and the two parties are fighting in court.
The new HHS program exists because Gilead decided to donate enough Truvada to cover as many as 200,000 patients over 11 years, and yet the company gets no mention, let alone official thanks. But one can imagine the government’s thinking on the matter: You don’t want to appear too grateful when your stated position is that Truvada isn’t Gilead’s to donate in the first place.
That’s perhaps because Gilead and HHS are in a strange legal situation. The government claims Truvada, an HIV-prevention pill that brings in more than $2 billion a year for Gilead, infringes federal patents. Gilead disagrees, and the two parties are fighting in court.
The new HHS program exists because Gilead decided to donate enough Truvada to cover as many as 200,000 patients over 11 years, and yet the company gets no mention, let alone official thanks. But one can imagine the government’s thinking on the matter: You don’t want to appear too grateful when your stated position is that Truvada isn’t Gilead’s to donate in the first place.
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