Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a large American pharmaceutical company with headquarters near San Francisco. Revenue for 2025 was over $29 billion with profits over $8 billion.
According to a press release dated April 29, 2025: “U.S. Attorney Announces $202 Million Settlement With Gilead Sciences For Using Speaker Programs To Pay Kickbacks To Doctors To Induce Them To Prescribe Gilead’s Drugs”.
“Gilead Admits to Paying Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars to High Prescribers of Gilead’s HIV Drugs to Serve as Speakers at Programs and to Holding Programs at Luxury Restaurants”
“In connection with the filing of the lawsuit and settlement, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act.”
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “For years, Gilead unlawfully sought to increase sales of its HIV drugs, by using its speaker programs to funnel kickbacks to doctors. As alleged, Gilead spent tens of millions of dollars on these programs, including over $20 million in speaking fees and millions more in exorbitant meals, alcohol and travel, all in an effort to induce doctors to prescribe Gilead’s HIV drugs and drive up sales.”
“As part of its marketing efforts and to increase sales, Gilead conducted events known as “HIV Speaker Programs” at which a healthcare provider involved in the treatment of HIV was engaged to present a slide deck (prepared by Gilead) and facilitate discussion about one of the drugs or a topic concerning HIV (an “HIV Disease State Topic”) to other healthcare providers involved in the treatment of HIV (“Attendees”). Gilead’s HIV Speaker Programs were often held in the evening at restaurants (“HIV Dinner Programs”).”
“As part of the settlement, GILEAD admitted and accepted responsibility for certain conduct alleged by the U.S., including the following:
- Gilead paid many high-volume prescribers of HIV drugs tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in honoraria to prepare and present as HIV Speakers. For instance, one HIV Speaker, who received over $300,000 in total honorarium payments, wrote prescriptions for Gilead HIV Drugs that resulted in over $6 million in Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE payments.
- On many occasions, Gilead covered the travel costs of HIV Speakers who traveled long distances to speak at HIV Speaker Programs at desirable travel destinations, such as Hawaii, Miami, and New Orleans. This was sometimes in response to an HIV Speaker’s request to be booked for an HIV Speaker Program in that city.
- Sales representatives in Gilead’s HIV therapeutic area (“Sales Representatives”) organized HIV Speaker Programs at high-end restaurants across the country. For instance, a significant percentage of the HIV Speaker Programs held in New York City were held at expensive restaurants, such as the James Beard House, Del Posto, Asiate, Palma, Vaucluse, Ilili, and Limani. In particular, Gilead held 157 HIV Speaker Programs at the James Beard House, making it one of Gilead’s most used venues for HIV Speaker Programs. A dinner at the James Beard House typically included approximately six courses with alcoholic beverage pairings.
- Sales Representatives repeatedly invited numerous doctors and other healthcare providers to attend the same HIV program over and over. Many repeatedly attended HIV Speaker Programs covering the exact same topic, often within a short period of time.
- Over 250 prescribers of the Gilead HIV Drugs attended HIV Dinner Programs on the same topic three times or more within a six-month period. And over 80 of them attended five or more HIV Dinner Programs on the same topic within a six-month period.
- Further, many healthcare providers who were paid to be HIV Speakers on a particular topic also attended HIV Dinner Programs on exactly the same topic, often within less than six months after speaking.
- In certain instances, the same group of doctors repeatedly attended the same HIV Speaker Programs together at various restaurants. In many instances, they attended a HIV Dinner Program less than two weeks after speaking on the same topic.”
See the full press release below.