Gilead announces Sovaldi generic deal
US biotechnology company Gilead has agreed a licensing deal with seven Indian drug makers that will enable them to sell a generic version of a drug used to treat hepatitis C.
Gilead will license its Sovaldi (Sofosbuvir) drug to generic manufacturers Cipla, Ranbaxy Laboratories, Cadila Healthcare, Sequent Scientific, Strides Arcolab, Hetero Drugs and Mylan Laboratories, which will in turn market it in nearly ten developing countries.
The companies will set their own rates for the sale of the drug but will pay a royalty fee to Gilead.
According to Gilead, the agreement will allow the companies to manufacture the drug in 91 developing countries.
Gregg Alton, executive vice president at Gilead, said hepatitis C is a “significant public health issue” worldwide and that Gilead was working to make its medicines “accessible to as many patients, in as many places”, as quickly as possible.
“In developing countries, large-volume generic manufacturing and distribution is widely regarded as a key component in expanding access to medicines. These agreements are essential to advancing the goals of our humanitarian programme in these countries,” Alton said.
According to Reuters, Sovaldi is normally given to patients for either three or six months and costs $84,000 for a 12-week course in the US. Gilead said it would launch the drug in India at a price of $300 a month.
The drug was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last December and then by the European Commission in January.
In the first nine weeks after its launch in the US, sales totalled $484 million.
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