End Monopoly Control of Remdesivir: Public Citizen

Public Citizen says that taxpayers invested $70.5 million in the development of Gilead’s remdesivir, which is being used to treat some Covid-19 cases, and thus the company should price the treatment at no more than $1 per day. The advocacy group cited a letter signed by a bipartisan group of 34 state attorneys general asking the federal government to authorize generic competition for the Gilead drug to mitigate drug shortages and lower prices.

“Gilead’s monopoly of remdesivir leads to shortages and rationing and keeps prices high,” Public Citizen says. “Taxpayers funded remdesivir’s development from the drug’s early days. Generic competition would help expand supply and ensure reasonable pricing. The federal government — we the people, that is — appears to co-own remdesivir’s core patents. Remdesivir should be in the public domain.”