A lawsuit against Gilead Sciences, a prominent drug company known for its HIV medications, has been allowed to continue in federal court after the company filed a motion to dismiss the claims. Although the ruling dismissed some claims against the biopharma giant, it allowed all the core causes of action to continue deciding a decisive victory for the plaintiffs. There is still a long way to go but these cases may have legs that could take the plaintiffs to victories at trial and ultimately a global settlement for all the victims.
The legal allegations against Gilead involve the company’s groundbreaking prescription drugs used to treat HIV. In 2001, Gilead developed and released a first of its kind drug, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) under the brand name Viread. TDF is a unique antiretroviral medicine that works by blocking an enzyme that HIV virus cells use to replicate and multiply. By preventing the virus cells from replicating, Viread and Gilead’s other TDF drugs stop HIV from growing and progressing into AIDS.
Gilead dominates, arguably with antitrust implications, HIV drugs known as antiretrovirals. In the U.S. today, over 80% of patients on HIV treatment take one or more of Gilead’s products every day.