Gilead Sued by U.S. in Dispute Over HIV Prevention Patents (1)

The U.S. sued Gilead Sciences Inc., alleging that the biotechnology company reaped billions in sales from HIV-prevention regimens that were based on pioneering work done by government researchers.

The patent-infringement suit filed late Wednesday by the Department of Health and Human Services alleges that more than a decade ago researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed innovative, two-drug combinations that could prevent infections from HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The government alleges that after Gilead gained approval for HIV prevention in 2012, it repeatedly refused to license the government’s patents. Gilead’s drug, Truvada, the ...