Gilead Offers Sovaldi To Egypt At 99% Discount
In the face of rising criticism over its high priced drug Sovaldi, Gilead Sciences announced that it has offered to supply its Hepatitis C drug to Egypt at a 99% discount compared to U.S. prices.
Reuters reported that Egyptian health minister Adel El-Adawi stated that Cairo had struck a deal for the Egyptian government to buy Sovaldi for $300 per one-month box with U.S.-based pharmaceutical company Gilead. Based on the agreed price, a 12 week course of treatment with Sovaldi would total $900 in contrast to the $84,000 price tag for the same treatment in the U.S.
Egypt has the highest prevalence rate of hepatitis C worldwide. The company stated it was pleased to finalize the agreement for the introduction of Sovaldi in Egypt. El-Adawi said Gilead's offer would be applicable to Sovaldi supplies used in government clinics. He added that access programs are expected to begin in the second half of 2014 after registration procedures in Egypt are completed. Gregg Alton, head of corporate and medical affairs at Gilead, stated in an emailed statement, “We believe Sovaldi could have a major impact on public health in Egypt by significantly increasing the number of people who can be cured of hepatitis C.”
Sovaldi is leading a new class of treatment that could cure or even eradicate hepatitis C completely for millions of affected people worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, over 150 million people are estimated to be chronically infected with the disease around the world. Most hepatitis C patients are at further risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer.
AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co are only some of the pharma firms currently developing oral treatment regimens for hepatitis C in order to reduce the need for debilitating interferon injections.
Gilead Sciences has attracted criticism after U.S. health insurers sought help from state health officials to pay for Sovaldi. The company announced its intent to license Sovaldi to a number of Indian generic pharmaceutical manufacturers for them to be able to sell lower priced versions of the treatment.