Gilead Sciences, a US firm with a big Irish manufacturing operation, has agreed to pay $40m (€37m) to settle a legal case that alleged it had delayed developing newer HIV drugs in order to boost profits of an older drug.
More than 2,600 people with HIV claimed it had sold a HIV drug without disclosing harmful side effects while delaying development of a safer alternative treatment – a claim that Gilead denied.
The US drugmaker has had a large manufacturing facility at Carrigtwohill in Cork since 1999 which produces a substantial portion of its oral HIV drugs for 100 markets.
It was claimed Gilead did not want to hurt already established TDF sales by admitting the product was unsafe
Approval for Gilead’s original HIV drug was granted in the US in 2001.
It contained a form of the compound tenofovir (TDF).
Patients claimed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California that Gilead knew this substance was toxic to patients’ kidneys and bones.
It was further claimed that Gilead had subsequently discovered a safer version of the drug called tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) that was absorbed much more efficiently than TDF but that it had delayed development of this drug because it did not want to hurt already established TDF sales by admitting the product was unsafe.
In a statement, Gilead Sciences said it had reached the agreement in principle with counsel representing the overwhelming majority of plaintiffs in the federal TDF litigation that was pending in the Californian court.
In no way is this settlement an admission of liability or wrongdoing
“Gilead entered into this agreement to avoid the cost and distraction of litigating these cases, and in no way is this settlement an admission of liability or wrongdoing,” said the statement.
Gilead said it expected the settlement would resolve the claims of the overwhelming majority of plaintiffs in the federal TDF litigation.
“However, there may be some plaintiffs in the federal TDF litigation who do not elect to participate in the settlement and there are others who are not part of this agreement. As to those plaintiffs, Gilead will continue to vigorously defend itself.”
“Gilead has never stopped working to improve the lives of people with HIV,” it said.
By Fearghal O’Connor
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Gilead statement on agreement in principle to resolve federal TDF litigation /official company statement/
Source : Irish Independent
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