On the eve of the World Hepatitis Summit in Sao Paolo, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has announced that it has secured deals for generic hepatitis C medicines for as low as US$1.40 per day, or $120 per 12-week treatment course for the key medicines sofosbuvir and daclatasvir.

In the US, pharmaceutical corporation Gilead launched sofosbuvir at $1,000 per pill in 2013;  Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) launched daclatasvir at $750 per pill in 2015. This led to the original price tag of $147,000 for a person’s 12-week combination treatment course. The corporations have also been charging exorbitant prices in many developing countries, paralysing the launch of national treatment programmes and causing treatment rationing in many countries around the world.

“What good is a breakthrough medicine that people cannot afford?” asked Jessica Burry, pharmacist for MSF’s Access Campaign.

“Pharmaceutical corporations price hepatitis C medicines far out of reach for people paying out of pocket around the world, and also for many governments struggling to provide treatment in the public sectors; but the prices for generic versions keep coming down.

“Governments must use every tool in their toolbox to fight for access to lower-priced generics so they can scale up treatment for the millions of people who need it; they should follow the lead of countries like Malaysia and issue compulsory licences when patents block people’s access to this life-saving treatment.” 

In 2015, MSF started procuring sofosbuvir and daclatasvir from Gilead and BMS through their ‘access programmes’ at a price of $1,400 to $1,800 per 12-week treatment. Today, MSF pays a fraction of that, at $120, sourced from quality-assured generic manufacturers.

An estimated 71 million people have chronic hepatitis C infection worldwide. Of these,72 per cent live in low- and middle-income countries.

Direct-acting antiviral medicines (DAAs) represent a treatment breakthrough for people with hepatitis C, with cure rates of up to 95 per cent, and with far fewer side effects than previous treatments. Yet access to DAAs has remained limited because pharmaceutical corporations charge unaffordable prices, leading many countries to reserve treatment only for people with the most advanced stages of the disease.

By the end of 2016, three years after sofosbuvir was launched, only an estimated 2.1 million people globally had been treated with the medicines, leaving 69 million people still without access.  

These high prices have also put a major strain on health systems in wealthy countries, in particular those enacting universal health care. Treatment is being rationed in countries such as Canada, Italy and the US, in addition to developing countries, and is a stark reminder of the early days of HIV treatment.

“Almost two decades ago, MSF and others worked hard to get access to generics and bring down prices for HIV medicines,” said Mickael Le Paih of MSF in Cambodia, where MSF treats people living with hepatitis C.

“History is repeating itself with hepatitis C–the medicines we need are again too expensive, but we are finding ways to make treatment affordable so that our patients can be cured.”

MSF treats people with hepatitis C in 11 countries. Since 2015, MSF has provided DAA treatment to nearly 5,000 people with hepatitis C.  Of those who have completed treatment to date, the overall cure rate – measured by ‘sustained viral response’ – is 94.9 per cent.