PETALING JAYA, April 12 — Treatment for hepatitis C used to cost nearly RM120,000 for a 12-week course, but can now be had for cheaper than RM2,000 — a cut of over 98 per cent — thanks to trials of an experimental drug conducted in Malaysia.
Non-profit research and development organisation Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) has presented at the International Liver Conference in Paris the result of its combination treatment, which yields cure rates as high as 97 per cent and would benefit millions of people.
“The results indicate that the sofosbuvir/ravidasvir combination is comparable to the very best hepatitis C therapies available today, but it is priced affordably and could allow an alternative option in countries excluded from pharmaceutical company access programmes,” said its executive director Dr Bernard Pécoul, in a statement on its website today.
The trial had used medicines manufactured by Egyptian drug manufacturer Pharco Pharmaceuticals, was run by DNDi and co-sponsored by the Malaysian Ministry of Health at ten sites in the country and its neighbour Thailand.
The combination treatment had used two types of medicines, new drug ravidasvir, and sofosbuvir.
Currently, the cost of treatment is about US$48,000 (RM186,168) for a 12-week course in Malaysia.
American firm Gilead’s previous Sovaldi treatment costs US$1,000 a pill, or US$84,000 over 12 weeks.
The treatment is expected to be available in Malaysia within one to two years with DNDi having signed deals in Latin America to make it available for US$500 for the 12-week course, with a provision to bring the price down to US$300.
“As hepatitis C has become a major public health concern in Malaysia, it is crucial to increase access to treatment for the benefit of the nation,” said Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the Health Director-General.
Last year in September, Putrajaya had issued a “government-use” license on sofosbuvir patents, which would allow 400,000 people living with hepatitis C in Malaysia to access generic alternatives in public hospitals.
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus, which can then lead to liver disease and cirrhosis, or liver damage.
Over 71 million people are affected with it, and 400,000 die each year. However, less than three million people are currently on treatment.
