Washington, August 13 (RHC)-- The watchdog group Public Citizen has accused pharmaceutical giant Gilead of putting profit ahead of public health as it works to develop a treatment for the coronavirus. 

Public Citizen says Gilead has focused on promoting remdesivir as a possible treatment, instead of a related drug that may be more effective and easier to manufacture, because Gilead’s patent on remdesivir is five years longer.

Dr. Michael Abrams of Public Citizen said: “It is sadly predictable that Big Pharma responds to a global pandemic by trying to bring to market only those drugs that maximize its profits.” 
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson has reached a $1 billion deal with the U.S. to make 100 million doses of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine still being tested.