NPR - Maker Of $1,000 Hepatitis C Pill Looks To Cut Its Cost Overseas

Maker Of $1,000 Hepatitis C Pill Looks To Cut Its Cost Overseas

February 07, 201410:53 AM

It's not yet clear whether the pricing deal would include middle-income countries, such as India, China and Egypt, which have particularly heavy burdens of hepatitis C.

And activists say that $2,000 is unaffordable to all but the wealthy in most low- and middle-income countries, where governments, insurers or global payers aren't covering hepatitis C treatment.

"We think a $2,000 price tag, although a discount from U.S. prices, is not going to get the job done," says , a policy director of Doctors Without Borders. "It's a discount from a price we think is absolutely outrageous. The way we look at it is, how much does this drug cost to make and what is patients' ability to pay?"

Solvadi can be , Malpani and other critics say, perhaps $68 to $136 for a 12-week treatment course.

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