Gilead Sciences, Inc. — Ethics Grade D+

Gilead Sciences, Inc. receives an overall ethics grade of D+ (38/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Healthcare. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 55
• privacy: 60
• consumer: 20
• environment: 50
• humanRights: 30

Documented incidents (3)

• Sovaldi Pricing Scandal (high, 2014) — Gilead faced intense scrutiny for pricing the Hepatitis C drug Sovaldi at $1,000 per pill ($84,000 for a course), sparking a Senate investigation into accessibility.
• HIV Drug Patent Shelving (high, 2019) — Lawsuits alleged Gilead delayed the release of a safer HIV drug (TAF) to maximize profits from an older version (TDF) before its patent expired.
• Generic Drug Competition Blocking (medium, 2023) — Gilead agreed to pay $246 million to settle claims that it struck deals with generic drugmakers to delay cheaper versions of HIV medications.

Documented good deeds

• Voluntary Licensing — Gilead signed royalty-free licenses with generic manufacturers to provide Remdesivir to 127 low-income countries during the pandemic.

Ethical alternatives

• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals — Better track record on R&D transparency and pricing ethics.