Hepatitis C drugs are costly—one pill can cost $1000. Expensive in any country, the thousand-dollar pill is almost laughably over-priced for those living in developing countries—if it weren’t such a serious, deadly disease. Gilead Sciences, a Californian drug maker, has now announced plans to sell a generic version of Hepatitis C medication in poorer countries. A 12-week treatment of Hepatitis C medication costs $84,000 in the US, but will cost $1800 for a 24-week treatment in India, the first country Gilead Sciences plans to release the cost effective pill. The announcement could be a godsend for the 180 million people living with Hepatitis C in developing countries.
This article was originally published on September 16, 2014
