Gilead Sciences has licensed its hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir to seven India-based pharma companies, including Cipla and Ranbaxy, in order to give access to the generic version of the drug to people living in 91 developing nations. This corresponds to 54 percent of total global hepatitis-infected population. The other companies participating to the deal are Cadila Healthcare, Sequent Scientific, Strides Arcolab, Hetero Drugs and Mylan Laboratories. Companies will independently set the price for the medicine and will pay royalties to Gilead.
Chronic hepatitis C is affecting approx. 150 million people worldwide. Sofosbuvir is the up-to-date treatment for hepatitis C, showing a better efficiency and lower collateral effects than older therapies. The cost for a 12-week course treatment in the US is approx. $ 84,000.