Civil Society From 17 European Countries File Patent Opposition On Key Hepatitis C Drug

By Kim Treanor for Intellectual Property Watch

Public health group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced today that it has joined civil society organisations from 17 countries in Europe in filing a patent challenge at the European Patent Office to Gilead’s patent on sofosbuvir, an important treatment for hepatitis C.

The World Health Organization estimates that hepatitis C infects 130 – 150 million people around the world.

Sofosbuvir is an effective treatment, but the high cost of the patented drug means it is out of reach for many of those who need it. MSF notes that Gilead charges US$84,000 in the United States for a course of treatment, and as much as US$59,000 in Europe.

Among the 30 groups signed onto the opposition are the European Public Health Alliance and Médecins du Monde.

In challenging the patent, MSF said it hopes to ensure that affordable, generic versions of sofosbuvir are available for patients. Generic versions of the compound can be produced for as little as US$ 1 per pill, the group said.

A copy of the opposition will be available in the Patent Oppositions Database.

Kim Treanor is an intern at Intellectual Property Watch and a student in the graduate program of International Affairs at the New School in New York, where she studies development, trade and public health.