AIDS Healthcare Foundation is ramping up its public pressure campaign against Gilead Sciences, blaming the drugmaker’s high HIV medication prices for helping push Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program into crisis earlier this year.
In a press release issued April 10, AHF announced it will run full-page ads on April 12 in five major Florida newspapers: the Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, and Tallahassee Democrat.
The ads, branded “Greediad,” accuse Gilead of profiting while Florida’s HIV safety net buckled under the cost of treatment.
AHF said Gilead’s pricing “played” a major role in the state’s recent ADAP turmoil. The group pointed specifically to Biktarvy, one of Gilead’s HIV medications, saying it “carried an annual sticker price of nearly $61,000 per patient in 2025.”
Florida’s ADAP program faced backlash in January after the state moved to cut eligibility, raising fears that thousands of low-income Floridians living with HIV could lose access to medication. Lawmakers later approved emergency funding to keep the program afloat through the end of June.
According to AHF, “Prices of Gilead’s HIV medications created tremendous financial pressure that contributed to Florida’s decision in January to cut eligibility for ADAP.” The organization added that the Legislature voted unanimously last month to allocate $31 million “as a stopgap to stave off the Draconian restrictions and cuts through the end of June.”
The campaign escalates AHF’s ongoing criticism of drug pricing and access to HIV treatment.
In the ad text, AHF addresses the company directly: “Gilead, your HIV medication Biktarvy carried an annual sticker price of nearly $61,000 in 2025.”
The ad continues: “That kind of outrageous pricing helped create the financial pressure behind Florida’s decision to cut eligibility for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, putting 11,500 Floridians at risk of losing HIV coverage.”
AHF argues the public saw the fallout, but not the underlying cost pressures. “Most people saw that as a government system in crisis. What they did not see was how years of your price hikes helped push that system closer to the breaking point,” the ad reads.
It goes on to say, “Your greed has real consequences. When public HIV care systems are forced to absorb rising drug costs, patients lose stability, providers face greater pressure, and communities across Florida are left more vulnerable.”
The ad closes with a direct rebuke: “Gilead, you are making billions while Florida’s HIV safety net pays the price. Instead of helping protect access to lifesaving care, you continue to squeeze the very systems people depend on to stay healthy and alive.”
“Shame on you Gilead! Stop your attack on the health care safety net!”
AHF, which describes itself as the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, said it serves more than 2.8 million people in 50 countries.
