Gilead’s Costly New HIV Drug Doesn’t Beat Generic, Study Says (1)

The massive price difference between a new HIV prevention drug and a soon-to-be generic version isn’t justifiable in most circumstances, despite the manufacturer boasting the newer option is safer, researchers warn insurers, patients, and doctors.

A study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine evaluates the costs and benefits of Gilead’s new HIV prevention drug Descovy compared to the company’s older HIV drug Truvada, which will have generic competition beginning September. A generic version of Truvada would cost around $8,300 annually, the researchers estimate.

For most people, the newer drug will be worth at most $370 more than the ...