Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Broad Range of Prices for HCV Drugs Raises Concerns About Affordability

By PLOS | June 3, 2016

The prices and affordability of recently developed and highly effective direct-acting antivirals for treating hepatitis C (HCV) vary greatly among countries worldwide, according to a study published this week in PLOS Medicine.

Suzanne Hill and colleagues from the World Health Organization undertook an economic analysis of prices for a 12-week course of treatment with sofosbuvir and ledipasvir/sofosbuvir in 30 countries—mostly European as well as Egypt and Mongolia, adjusting for average 2015 exchange rates and purchasing power parity (PPP). While the nominal price based on exchange rates was highest in the US (US$72,765 for a 12-week course of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir), PPP-adjusted prices in Central and Eastern European countries were highest, costing up to 1.63 times as much in Poland (PPP$118,754 for a 12 week course of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir).

The researchers went on to calculate the cost of treating the entire HCV infected population in each of the countries studied. Using previous estimates of HCV burden by country, they calculated that it would range from 10.5 percent of the total pharmaceutical expenditure (TPE) to treat all HCV patients in the Netherlands with the new HCV medications, to 190.5 percent of the TPE to treat all patients in Poland.

The authors note that their analysis is limited by the accuracy of the estimates of the numbers of people infected and price information that was accessible, and that some actual prices may be lower than the publicly accessible numbers because of confidential discounts. They also note, however, that they only considered the cost of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir/sofosbuvir and did not consider extra costs of treatment such as screening and follow-up. The authors say their analysis illustrates the wide range of affordability worldwide and suggests a need for an updated pricing system: “In order for countries to increase investment and minimise the burden of hepatitis C, governments and industry stakeholders will need to jointly develop and implement fairer pricing frameworks that deliver lower and more affordable prices”.

In an accompanying Perspective, Elliot Marseille and James G. Kahn discuss the pricing of these new HCV medications in relation to the high initial cost when HIV anti-retroviral therapy was introduced in the 1990s. Marseille and Kahn compare and contrast the situations, and suggest ways forward such as treating a proportion of cases initially, to spread the upfront cost of HCV treatment over several years while fighting for lower drug prices.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates on the latest pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing news!


Filed Under: Drug Discovery

 

Related Articles Read More >

Sanders, King target DTC pharma ads but the industry worries more about threats to its $2B R&D model
Zoliflodacin wins FDA nod for treatment of gonorrhea
FDA approved ENFLONSIA for the prevention of RSV in Infants
First clinical study results of Dupixent for atopic dermatitis in patients with darker skin tones 
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE