Five Challenges Filed Against Gilead Patent Claims For Hepatitis C Drug

Pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences has been noted first for developing an effective treatment for hepatitis C, which afflicts tens of millions around the world, and then offering it for jaw-dropping prices ($1000 per pill) in the United States and elsewhere. Now a group of health advocates has challenged Gilead’s patent applications in five emerging economies.

At issue is sofosbuvir, marketed under the brand name Sovaldi.

The group, led by the Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK), filed the challenges in Argentina, Brazil, China, Russia and Ukraine. They argue that Gilead is abusing patent laws by claiming knowledge that is in the public domain as their own. More than 59 million people are living with hepatitis C across those five countries, and it affects some 150 million worldwide, the groups said.

I-MAK filed similar challenges in Europe last year with Medecins du Monde and in India with the Delhi Network of Positive People. These cases are still pending.

In a press release, the groups said it has been shown that a 12-week course of sofosbuvir could be produced by generic companies for as little as $101.

The World Health Organization this month added hepatitis C treatments, including sofosbuvir, to its list of essential medicines.

An analysis by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, Doctor without Borders) showed that Gilead is expected to ask for between $2,000 and $15,000 for a 12-week sofosbuvir treatment in countries like Brazil, Argentina and China, the group said. People in those countries live on as little as $1.50 per day. Meanwhile, Gilead’s profits are soaring into the billions of dollars, said the advocates.

Gilead was not reached for this story.