HHS gets a new HIV prevention patent, but will the agency demand royalties from Gilead?

For the past several months, the U.S. government has been lambasted by AIDS activists for ostensibly failing to seek royalties from Gilead Sciences (GILD) for an expensive HIV prevention pill sold by the company and therefore not using the funds to help thwart the virus.

Now the federal government may have another chance — or yet another dispute may arise.

On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services was awarded a that broadly covers medicines derived from tenofovir and used to prevent HIV. Tenofovir is the basis for both an older Gilead drug called Truvada and its newer Descovy pill.