Hep C Discussion Forum

And, on the world front, BMS is busy following Gilead's lead to screw middle income countries out of affordable HCV tx.  Here is the story:

http://blogs.wsj.com/pharmalot/2014/11/03/bristol-myers-plan-to-widen-access-to-its-hep-c-drug-but-meets-criticism/

The plan was quickly met with criticism. In a statement of its own, Doctors Without Borders called the licensing terms "restrictive" and lambasted the decision to pursue tiered pricing. The advocacy group argues such a policy could mean many middle-income countries with numerous hepatitis C patients are excluded from access to more affordable generic versions.

The drug maker was also chastised for deciding plans "in secret." In its statement, the advocacy group maintains Bristol-Myers shared few details on pricing or access in advance, which is "reminiscent of industry approaches in the early years of the AIDS epidemic and unacceptable by any standard today." Specifics on licensing and pricing structures, the group says, have been "purposefully vague."

"Unfortunately, history seems to be repeating itself with BMS, who hasn't learned from the company's poor track record responding to the HIV epidemic," says Rohit Malpani, director of policy and analysis for the group's access to medicines campaign. He maintains that more than 70% of people who are infected with hepatitis C live in countries where a lower price version of Daklinza will not be available.

The advocacy group also pointed to a study published earlier this year in Clinical Infectious Disease that suggested the predicted manufacturing costs for the newest hepatitis C treatments are just a few hundred dollars per patient for a 12-week regimen.