AbbVie has won the exclusive rights for their newly approved Viekira Pak drug for Hepatitis C treatment. In order to win an exclusive deal with Express Script, the largest manager of prescription drug manager in USA, AbbVie cut the price of their drug. In an announcement on Monday, Express Script decided to go with the AbbVie`s Viekira Park treatment for hepatitis C genotype-1. According to the deal Express will exclude Gilead’s ledipasvir/sofosbuvir combo (Harvoni) and Janssen Therapeutics’ simeprevir (Olysio). This is a welcome news for both doctor and patient as Express Script decided to provide the medicine to a patient regardless of the stage of Hepatitis C the patient is carrying.
Critics are saying that though, Viekira is less expensive but a patient has to take the medicine three times a day, where as they had to take the other mentioned two medicines just once. Gilead`s Single drug treatment Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) is priced at $84,000, or $1,000 per pill for a 12-week treatment for now. As for the Viekira Pak (a combination of ombitasvir, dasabuvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir) was $83,319, but with the new deal Express Script will be able to offer the drug for around $51,000-$66,000. From January 1st Express Script will stop offering Gilead`s Single drug treatment Sovaldi to its patients.
In a statement Steve Miller, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Express Scripts said, “For the first time, a pharmaceutical manufacturer and a pharmacy benefit manager has created an agreement to deliver on the promise of a curative therapy for hepatitis C patients”. He then added, “Pharmaceutical innovation must be rewarded based on the value it brings to patients and payers. This agreement marks a fundamental change in how sustainable access and affordability will be delivered to hepatitis C patients”.
But in a statement Express Script said they will provide Sovaldi, Harvoni and Olysio, for those patients who have already began the treatment. It will also be made available for those patients with other hepatitis C genotypes who have advanced liver diseases.
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