Expanding Access

Since its inception in 2004, our patient assistance program has helped thousands of eligible underinsured and uninsured individuals access their prescribed Gilead HIV medications free of charge. The program was designed to minimize logistical and administrative burdens and strives to help people living with HIV and those who may benefit from HIV prevention therapy address significant social and systemic hurdles that often impede access to medications.

Those eligible and enrolled in our patient assistance program can obtain their prescribed Gilead medications free of charge through one of two options. We have a robust retail pharmacy network, enabling enrollees to receive their medications at their local pharmacy, as well as an overnight mail option to help facilitate easier access to prescribed medications as part of our patient assistance program. Read more about how Gilead is supporting the long-term sustainability of our free drug program at AdvancingAccessFacts.com.

To further our efforts to make our medicines available to those who may benefit from them, we are addressing common misconceptions about Gilead Advancing Access®.

Gilead Advancing Access Misconceptions:


Misconception:

Advancing Access no longer provides prescribed Gilead medications free of charge due to program changes.

Reality:

No. Those eligible and enrolled in the Advancing Access patient assistance program will continue to bear no costs for their prescribed Gilead medications. Changes were introduced to protect the integrity and sustainability of the program. To learn more, visit AdvancingAccessFacts.com.

More broadly, Advancing Access continues to help eligible individuals, whether they are insured or uninsured, understand their coverage and identify financial support options available to them.

Misconception:

The updates to Advancing Access mean those eligible and enrolled in the patient assistance program can no longer pick up their prescribed medications free of charge at their local pharmacy.

Reality:

Guided by input received from HIV community representatives, the program model continues to retain the convenience of retail pharmacy pickup along with a mail order option.

Approximately 38,000 pharmacies across the US currently participate in Advancing Access, and the network is continuously expanding as more pharmacies enroll in the program. To learn more, visit AdvancingAccessFacts.com.

Misconception:

The price of Gilead’s HIV medicines makes it difficult for people living with HIV to access their prescribed Gilead medicines.

Reality:

We price our HIV medicines based on three key pillars: value, access, and sustainability. This, in turn, enables Gilead to continue investing in new transformative innovations and research that we hope could, one day, lead to a cure.

It is important to note that when the cost of a medicine is mentioned, this commonly refers to the Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC), which is the price for wholesale buyers. It does not reflect the out-of-pocket cost those prescribed will pay since it does not take factors such as insurance coverage and co-pay assistance programs into consideration.

340B Misconceptions

We support the 340B program as one way to help improve patient access to medicines. However, a lack of transparency about who is receiving discounted bottles of medicines can create challenges in ensuring the program is being used to support that goal. Gilead announced and implemented a Contract Pharmacy Integrity Initiative designed to address concerns about the integrity and sustainability of the 340B program. This initiative applies specifically to 340B-covered entities that fill prescriptions of our branded hepatitis C virus (HCV) medications and does not impact Gilead’s HIV products.

Misconception:

Updates to the Advancing Access patient assistance program model have impacted Gilead’s participation in the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

Reality:

No. Updates to Gilead’s patient assistance program do not impact the company’s participation in the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Gilead continues to support the 340B program as one way to help improve patient access to medicines.