- According to WHO, 150 million people globally are chronic Hepatitis C patients and it claims 500,000 lives annually of which the highest is in China (29.7 million), India (18.2 million), Egypt (11.8 million) and Indonesia (9.43 million).
- Sofosbuvir (brandname Sovaldi) by Gilead is a direct-acting antiviral (DAA) which is administered orally is highly effective and reduces treatment time to 12 weeks without side effects. It was launched at $84,000 per patient in the U.S., $50,000 in France and $34,000 in the U.K.
- Gilead is in talks with generic manufacturers in India, known as the generic pharmaceutical capital of the world since it supplied generic versions of high-priced AIDS drugs to patients in sub-Saharan African at a price much lesser than the prevailing ones, to license them to sell the drug in about 60 countries. Major markets where the disease is prevalent are excluded from the voluntary licence.
- It was offered to some NGOs at $1,000 per patient which is very high in the terms of the public sector here. But it can be produced and marketed in India for as low as $130 affording great opportunity for the manufacturers.
- There are worries about a patent being granted in India as once granted, generic makers are bound by it. Outfits like Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+) and Initiatives for Medicine and Access to Knowledge (I-Mak) filed pre-grant opposition to the patent being granted in India and it will then bind the generic makers.
- Read at: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-business/new-hepatitis-c-drug-a-big-boon-for-domestic-players/article5927308.ece
Exams Perspective:
- Hepatitis C
- AIDS
- Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAA)
- Generic Drugs