Unlike a lot of other new high cost drugs, Sovaldi is actually predicted to gain NICE approval with relative ease. He said: “They are going to look at the numbers and say ‘this is not doable.’ “ The drug was officially launched in the UK in February, but patients in England are still not receiving the drug because NHS England, which is now in charge of specialist commissioning, is still deliberating over the drug.Ĭharles Gore, who sits on two specialist committees examining the drug’s introduction to the health service, says there NHS England and Gilead will inevitably have to negotiate on the drug’s price. The UK price is considerably lower than the US price, and is understood to be around £34,983 for a 12 week treatment– but the cost is causing concern here too.Ĭharles Gore, chief executive of the UK charity the Hepatitis C Trust says Sovaldi is a genuine ‘step change’ for patients, but that the NHS cannot justify spending so much on one treatment. Gilead’s Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) was launched in the US in December, and is already transforming the treatment of Hepatitis C, thanks to its ability to cure far more patients than existing treatments, with fewer side effects, and in a much shorter treatment period.īut the drug’s high price has caused huge controversy in the US – it costs $84,000 for a 12-week course of treatment, which works out as $1,000 per pill. A leading charity says new Hepatitis C drug Sovaldi is a huge step forward in treating the disease – but says its high price means it is not affordable for use on the NHS.
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