E-DRUG: Bristol-Myers signs deal with U.N. group for generic hepatitis C drug
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Health | Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:23am EST
Bristol-Myers signs deal with U.N. group for generic hepatitis C drug
A United Nations-backed organization working to cut the price of HIV drugs said it had signed a deal with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co to allow generic versions of the company's hepatitis C drug to be sold in 112 low- and middle-income countries.
The drug, Daklinza, (daclatasvir) is on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines.
Hepatitis C affects about 150 million people globally and kills around half a million each year, the World Health Organisation estimates.
The Medicines Patent Pool said on Monday that Daklinza would now be available to nearly two-thirds of people affected by the disease in low- and middle-income countries.
The list price in the United States for Daklinza is $63,000 for a 12-week regimen, or about $750 per day at wholesale costs, according to pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts.
Other drugs used to treat hepatitis C include Gilead Sciences' Sovaldi.(sofosbuvir)
A single Sovaldi pill costs $1,000 in the United States, according to Express Scripts.
The deal with Bristol-Myers allows drugmakers anywhere in the world to develop generic versions of Daklinza.
The Medicines Patent Pool had earlier signed a deal with Bristol-Myers for generic versions of its HIV treatment Reyataz.
(Reporting by Vidya L Nathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Ted Kerr)
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Reutershttp://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/23/us-bristol-myers-hepatitis-idUSKBN0TC1GD20151123#hhwWt75HhX754y1m.99
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