Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a settlement agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. resolving allegations that the company paid kickbacks to healthcare providers to promote its HIV/AIDS drugs. The settlement involves Florida, several other states, and the federal government.
“Big Pharma corporations that put profits ahead of patients by unlawfully promoting drugs will be held accountable,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “Florida’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works tirelessly to protect vulnerable patients and the taxpayer dollars that fund these systems.”
Gilead Sciences is a pharmaceutical company based in California that develops and sells treatments for infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS. According to state authorities, Gilead allegedly incentivized healthcare providers through payments, meals, and travel expenses to promote six of its HIV medications: Stribild, Genvoya, Complera, Odefsey, Descovy, and Biktarvy. These activities reportedly took place between January 2011 and November 2017 at events where practitioners spoke or attended on behalf of Gilead.
The Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit determined that these practices led to false claims being submitted and paid by the state’s Medicaid program for Gilead’s HIV drugs. As part of the agreement, Gilead admitted to extensive facts regarding its conduct and agreed to pay $3,033,238.12 to Florida’s Medicaid program.
The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates fraudulent billing practices within the state’s Medicaid system as well as cases involving patient abuse or neglect in facilities funded by Medicaid. For Federal Fiscal Year 2025, this unit is funded by a grant totaling $30.5 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; 75 percent comes from federal funds while 25 percent is matched by the State of Florida.
