Gilead had applied similar shamelessness in extracting profits from the HIV epidemic. It exploited a technique developed by the Centers for Disease Control that blocked transmission of the virus. The government had patented the technique in 2015, and Gilead had used it to develop a drug, Truvada, that it was selling for $20,000 a year. Its sales had reached $3 billion in 2018, but Gilead was not paying a dime in royalties19 to the government, while arguing that its patent was invalid. The government eventually sued Gilead to try to collect a return.
