New Truvada Generic Delay Suit Targets Both Gilead and Cipla (1)

Truvada maker Gilead Sciences Inc. was sued again in San Francisco federal court Thursday over its alleged scheme to delay generic versions of its blockbuster HIV preventive, this time by a pension fund claiming it paid rival Cipla Ltd. not to roll out a competing drug.

Some of Gilead’s alleged generic delay strategies have been litigated before.

But “this lawsuit involves a strategy that has not,” the suit says: “Gilead’s large, unexplained payment” to Cipla, likely in the form of a secret drug license or several, in exchange for “Cipla’s agreement not to compete” against Truvada, which does $11 billion ...