Gilead adds ten new countries for Sovaldi access programme

MUMBAI: US drug maker Gilead pharma has expanded the voluntary license agreement for the blockbuster Hepatitis C drug Sovaldi and Harvoni to 101 countries from the current list of 91 countries. As part of the access program Gilead and 11 Indian generic makers have an agreement to manufacture the generic versions of these drugs in low income and few middle income countries. In the newly expanded list Gilead has included Algeria, the Cook Islands, El Salvador, Libya, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Morocco, Paraguay, the Philippines and Tunisia.

Gilead said that it has also updated the pricing structure for drugs that it will be selling through its partner. In the revised structure, the cost of a bottle of Sovaldi is $300 and $400/bottle for Harvoni . In United States these drugs cost $84000 and $94000 for a 12 week treatment. “By making our pricing in these countries clear and transparent, Gilead hopes to facilitate planning and encourage a meaningful public health", a Gilead spokesperson said in an email to ET.