The Associated Press reports:
Gilead Sciences Inc said an unauthorized network of drug distributors and suppliers sold pharmacies more than $250 million of counterfeit versions of its HIV treatments over the last two years, endangering patients.
The drugmaker said it found 85,247 bottles that had been tampered with or faked, including versions of its Biktarvy and Descovy treatments.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, Gilead said it has seized the bottles of Gilead-labeled medication from 17 locations in nine states as part of its investigation. Gilead said on Tuesday counterfeiters used authentic, but often empty or near-empty, bottles that once contained its HIV medication.
Read the full article.
New: Gilead alleges a ring of drug suppliers sold +85,000 counterfeit bottles of its HIV medication to pharmacies over the past 2 years.
One patient couldn’t speak or walk after taking a counterfeit that was actually an antipsychotic drug, Gilead says.https://t.co/TzI9nnBflV
— Shawna Chen (@shawnarchen) January 18, 2022
Gilead said many of the 85,247 counterfeit bottles of its HIV medicines that were sold to pharmacies were purchased from homeless or drug-addicted HIV patients and then resold with falsified documentation. https://t.co/Lty6w7ffHH
— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) January 18, 2022