Gilead Sciences didn’t violate government patents on HIV prevention treatment, jury finds

A Delaware jury on Tuesday cleared Gilead Sciences of U.S. government allegations that it violated patents held by the Centers for Disease and Prevention on an HIV prevention drug.

The U.S. government had sued Gilead in 2019 arguing that the company was profiting off CDC patents through the company’s sales of Truvada and Descovy, oral medications taken to prevent HIV infection.

But the jury found that the government’s patent claims on an HIV prevention regimen called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, were not valid after a multiday trial in federal court.

“Today’s decision confirms our longstanding belief that we have always had the rights to make Truvada and Descovy for PrEP available to all who need it,” Gilead general counsel Deb Telman said in a statement Tuesday.

“Gilead will continue to champion collaborations, including our efforts with the U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) and CDC that span more than 15 years, as we all work together toward our common goal to end the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere,” Telman said.

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