The Trump Administration has filed a lawsuit suing drug manufacturer Gilead over the creation of its groundbreaking HIV preventative treatments Truvada and Descovy.
The US government say the company has earned billions from research funded by taxpayers without paying taxpayers back.
It claims the creation of the medication came from patented research owned by the Department of Health and Human Services. The government said Gilead Sciences had refused to pay the required royalties on the government owned research.
The two drugs have been used as part of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis Treatments, commonly known as PrEP. By taking a single tablet each day people at high risk of contracting HIV can be protected from the virus.
The treatment can cost as much as USD$20,000 per year per patient, but in many countries the treatment is made cheaper by government subsidies. In Australia PrEP treatment was added to the Pharmaceutical Benefit scheme.
The roll out of PrEP treatment has been credited with making a significant reduction to the number of people contracting HIV in countries including Australia, the United Kingdom and other regions where it has been made widely available.
The USA’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex M. Azar II, said the pharmaceutical company needed to respect the USA’s patent system.
“Gilead must respect the U.S. patent system, the groundbreaking work by C.D.C. researchers, and the substantial taxpayer contributions to the development of these drugs,” Azar said in a statement, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The company did not comment on the lawsuit when it was filed this week but has previously described the government’s claim as invalid, saying the concept of PrEP treatment was thought up outside of the government. It has been estimated that the company makes around $3billion a year through the sale of Truvada.
The company’s newest product Descovy, contains a new version of tenofovir, the active ingredient in Truvada, and was expected to effectively replace Truvada. The drug was recently approved for use in the USA among men who have sex with other men.
OIP Staff
