AIDS Activists Slam Biden-Gilead HIV Drug Patent Deal — SkimNews
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- AIDS activists obtained the R&D agreement at the heart of the settlement between the U.S. government and Gilead Sciences over HIV prevention drug patents after more than a year of back-and-forth.
- The activists contend the Biden administration missed a "historic" opportunity to invest in and broaden access to HIV prevention tools through the deal.
- The settlement resolved a lawsuit filed six years ago by the previous Trump administration, which accused Gilead of infringing CDC patent rights tied to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis pills.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention helped fund academic research that later became the foundation for Gilead's two HIV prevention pills, Truvada and Descovy.
- Government lawyers alleged Gilead ignored CDC scientists' contributions,夸大ed its own role in developing the drugs, and refused to sign a licensing deal despite "multiple attempts," while reaping hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayer-funded research.
Why it matters: Activists who secured transparency into the R&D agreement are using that vantage point to argue the Biden administration left money and access on the table: the CDC funded the underlying science behind two blockbuster HIV prevention pills, yet the settlement's terms — rather than expanding generic access — may entrench Gilead's grip on Truvada and Descovy while the public recoups only what was negotiated in the R&D pact.
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