Truvada Monopolization Claims Get Green Light Against Gilead

Gilead Sciences Inc. and several other pharmaceutical companies must face claims they schemed to cement its “stranglehold” on the HIV prevention market by delaying generic competition for the blockbuster drug Truvada, a San Francisco federal judge ruled.

The antitrust case also targets Bristol-Myers Squibb Inc., Japan Tobacco Inc., and Johnson & Johnson. It’s one of several related lawsuits alleging they conspired with Gilead to delay generic competition for the drug.

Truvada, which has billions of dollars a year in sales, is the leading option for “pre-exposure prophylaxis,” or PrEP, a line of treatment that dramatically reduces HIV ...