|
 MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said Gilead's
restrictions aimed to stop discounted supplies of Sovaldi being
diverted to patients from rich countries, but that the effort had
resulted in "multiple restrictions and demands" on people receiving
treatment in poor countries.
It said Gilead was excluding people without national identity
documents, a move that hurts migrants, refugees and marginalized
patients.
"We're seeing Gilead trying everything it can to squeeze every last
drop of profit out of some middle-income and (high-income)
countries, and millions of people with hepatitis C will have to pay
the price," said Rohit Malpani, Director of Policy and Analysis at
MSF's Access Campaign.
Gilead said in developing countries it operates a system of tiered
pricing and voluntary generic licensing to help enable access to its
hepatitis C medicines.
"As part of these efforts, the company works to ensure that the
medicines reach their intended recipients with patient access our
primary goal," a Gilead spokesman said.
Sovaldi, which is far more effective and better-tolerated than older
treatments, has come under fire for its $1,000-a-pill price tag in
the United States. It racked up $10.3 billion in sales for Gilead in
its first year on the market.
Gilead said it is in discussions with 11 generic drugmakers to
identify strategies for supplying 91 developing nations. But
activists have said such deals would not ensure access to several
middle-income countries where health authorities will struggle to
provide treatment to patients.
"We will continue to seek input on all areas of our access program
as it evolves, and make any improvements as needed," Gilead said.
[to top of second column] |
In a statement on Wednesday ahead of a meeting between Gilead and
the generics producers, MSF urged the companies to reject a program
under which it says the U.S. drugmaker keeps people in developed and
some middle-income countries, where Sovaldi's cost is "exorbitant,"
from accessing cheaper copies.
"MSF is greatly concerned that this program will establish an ugly
precedent and will be introduced in all countries where the company
and its generic licensees sell the drug," the charity said.
About 150 million people in the world live with chronic hepatitis C,
most of them in low- and middle-income countries.
(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai and Bill Berkrot in New York;
Editing by Marguerita Choy)
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