To Greedy Gilead:
Through your greed, you have torn yet another major hole in the health care safety net.
Last week, you announced you would be restricting safety net providers’ access to your Hepatitis C drug by placing unreasonable conditions on their purchase – conditions that include handing over sensitive patient data. Your extortionary tactic flouts the letter and spirit of the federal 340B law. That law requires drug manufacturers like Gilead to give safety net providers access to discounted pricing to allow these providers to reach more patients and provide more services. Gilead is strangling that access.
Your actions are in keeping with your greedy actions earlier this year to dramatically raise the prices you charge safety net providers for Descovy, an important HIV drug.
And your actions are in keeping with your deplorable “bait and switch” strategy of supporting safety net providers’ HIV prevention (PrEP) and treatment programs, only to withdraw that support and dramatically increase your drug prices once patients are established in treatment.
Taxpayers subsidized the research of your drugs because of their life-saving potential, yet instead of maximizing access for the public good, you maximize your own profits and line your own pocketbooks.
“Beware of Gilead bearing gifts,” should be the slogan for the safety net community. All your subsidies, donations and sponsorships are but a way to ingratiate yourself into a community that, in the end, you exploit to the tunes of billions in profit.