Wall Street Journal: Taxpayer Money Helped to Make Remdesivir

Regarding "Virus Drug to Cost $3,120 Per Patient" (U.S. News, June 30):

Fanfare for Gilead Sciences Inc.'s "responsible pricing" doesn't acknowledge a $99 million federal investment that saved remdesivir from the scrapheap. Taxpayers were the angel investors. While Gilead quickly recoups its investment, taxpayers will see no return, only big bills.

Gilead's promotion of a lower "government" price is misleading without disclosing that this was a statutorily mandated one-third discount for four small federal programs. Excluded are most Americans: those who have Medicare, Medicaid, the uninsured and the privately insured, who will likely be charged the world's highest price.

President Trump could have prevented this price gouging with reasonable funding-agreement pricing terms or an order opening Gilead's license to allow lower-priced generic production, as is occurring in many other countries. But, just as he refused to crack down on profiteering from personal protective equipment and testing, President Trump ignores the plight of those whom his multiple pandemic failures have harmed.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D., Texas)

Austin, Texas

Mr. Doggett is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee.