Efforts to offer cheaply while maintaining the effect of expensive "hepatitis C therapeutic drug" is ongoing

ByThe Javorac

Liver disease caused by virus infection "Hepatitis CIs liver cirrhosis or cancer, and in the worst case it is never too few to cause death. In Japan, hepatitis C is said to have 2 million patients from 1 million, but due to expensive therapeutic drugs there is a fact that adequate treatment has not been done especially in poor countries. To remedy this situation, a non-profit organization is pursuing research and development to provide medicines with the same effect as expensive medicines at a cheap price of only $ 300 (about 30,000 yen) Good results have come to light.

Non-profit's $ 300 hepatitis C cure as effective as $ 84,000 alternative | Science | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/apr/12/non-profits-300-hepatitis-c-cure-as-effective-as-84000-alternative

A not-for-profit organization that conducts research and development of therapeutic drugs against diseases not seen from societyDNDi(Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative) is working on the development of new drugs to be able to treat hepatitis C at a low cost. In collaboration with the Egyptian pharmaceutical company Falco Pharmaceuticals, DNDi can purchase a very expensive medicine made in the USA, using two medicines, the existing drug "Sophosbuville" and the new drug "Ravidaswir" We have been conducting research to provide in non-national countries.

It is said that development took longer than originally anticipated, but from the latest results very good content has been found. In the content announced as an interim report, 97% of 301 patients who participated in Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the clinical trial have revealed that the disease has healed owing to the administration of 12 weeks of medication. It has also been confirmed that therapeutic drugs have equivalent effects even in people complicated with diseases that are difficult to treat such as HIV infection and cirrhosis.

Hepatitis C is a viral disease, it can lead to cirrhosis or cancer, in the worst case death, and it is said that 71 million people worldwide suffer from this disease and 400,000 have died. Although highly effective drugs have already been produced, there are situations where only 3 million people in total can handle this medicine because it is very expensive.

The American pharmaceutical company Gilead lowered the price of hepatitis C tablet "HARBONY" in countries with low incomes of people, but it is still too high for the government to take a caught and to widely offer drugs The condition is going on too much. The costs for administering Herbony over 12 weeks are $ 48,000 (about 5.2 million yen) in Malaysia and $ 12,000 (about 1.3 million yen) in Chile, but the former drug "Sophosbuir "Is even more expensive, the price per tablet is 1000 dollars (about 110,000 yen). The cost of dosing over 12 weeks was as high as $ 84,000 (about 9.2 million yen). This price has a wide range depending on the country, and America tends to be the highest.


Gilead is under pressure from the same American pharmaceutical company "Abvi". Abvi has shortened the administration period to 8 weeks as the treatment of hepatitis C drug "Mavillet" released in 2017, and the total cost is kept as low as 26,400 dollars (about 2.9 million yen) . However, its price is never easily handled even if it is an advanced country, much more difficult to obtain in developing countries.

Bernard Pekor, executive director of DNDi, said, "The combination of Sophosbuville and Ravidaswill is comparable to the latest available and most effective treatment for hepatitis C. On the other hand, these drugs are affordable The latest research shows that it is a price and it is fully usable even in countries excluded from the access program of the pharmaceutical company. "

ByDraconian Rain

The treatment using this medicine is scheduled to start in Malaysia from 2019 to 2020. In addition, DNDi has concluded a contract to make it available for 500 dollars (about 55,000 yen) in Latin American 12-week course, further preparing to lower the price to 300 dollars (about 33,000 yen) We are promoting.

The study using medicines manufactured by Pharco this time was conducted by DNDi and co-sponsored by Ministry of Health of Malaysia. Also in Egypt, trials were conducted on 300 patients with different genetic characteristics, and there is a cure rate of 100% here. Further, in South Africa and Ukraine, further research is being done to cover all of the six hepatitis C genotypes. In addition, DNDi has acquired a license to handle Ravidasvir in low-income countries and middle-income countries from California pharmaceutical company "Presidio Pharmaceuticals."