Gilead Sciences Inc. and its co-defendants in a high-profile antitrust class action have lawyered up.

White & Case has entered appearances for Gilead in Staley v. Gilead Sciences, while Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer is representing Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.; Drinker Biddle Reath represents Johnson & Johnson Inc.; and Holland & Knight reps Japan Tobacco International USA Inc.

Staley alleges that Gilead and the other drug companies have inflated the price of HIV medication through collusive licensing agreements, such as by combining Gilead compounds whose patents are expiring with other companies' more recently patented compounds into fixed-dose combinations. The strategy is “crippling this nation's ability to stop new HIV infections,” the plaintiffs contend in a May 14 complaint.

Gilead has said that it enters into partnerships with other companies to create life-saving therapies. “Any suggestion that we had improper motives is absolutely false,” the company has said.

The Staley plaintiffs include a handful of drug consumers and two labor union insurance funds. They're represented by Durie Tangri's Daralyn Durie, Mark Lemley, David McGowan, Laura Miller and W. Henry Huttinger; Hilliard & Shadowen's Steve Shadowen, Robert Hilliard, Richard Brunell, Matthew Weiner, Frazar Thomas and Nicholas Shadowen; Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro partners Steve Berman, Thomas Sobol, Kristen Johnson and of counsel Gregory Arnold; Radice Law Firm founder John Radice and of counsel Daniel Rubenstein; Shepherd, Finkelman, Miller & Shah partner Natalie Finkelman Bennett, of counsel Jayne Goldstein and attorney Michael Ols; and Sperling & Slater's Paul Slater, Eamon Kelly, Alberto Rodriguez and David Germaine.

Teamsters Local 237 and some of its members have joined the class via a related action. They're represented by Kevin Ruf and Lionel Glancy of Glancy Prongay & Murray.

Gilead is being represented by White & Case partners Heather Marie Burke, Christopher Curran, Heather McDevitt and Peter Carney.

Bristol-Myers Squibb is represented by Arnold & Porter partners Daniel Asimow, Laura Shores and associate Cindy Hong.

Johnson & Johnson is represented by Drinker Biddle & Reath partners Paul Riehle, Paul Saint-Antoine and Joanne Lewers.

Appearing for Japan Tobacco are Holland & Knight partners Ashley Shively, Jerome Hoffman and Neal Beaton.