Thomson Reuters Recognizes World Hepatitis Day With Report On HCV Drugs

Thomson Reuters has prepared a report and an infographic on the Hepatitis drug market in recognition of World Hepatitis Day. The data and commentary highlights the drug classes used against hepatitis C virus (HCV), the state of HCV drug development, and the industry players boasting new drugs — including Gilead’s Sovaldi, Roche’s mericitabine, and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s daclatasvir- based therapies. Also addressed are the costs of the new drugs, which have shocked insurance companies, patients, and legislators.

State of HCV Drug Development

According to the company’s infographic, the major drug classes include interferon, NS5A inhibitors, NS5B polymerase inhibitors, NS3/4A protease inhibitors, and boosting agents. Subclasses include pegylated interferon, ribavirin, ledipasvir, and dasabuvir among others.

There are currently 170 million people worldwide infected with HCV, with three to four million new infections each year. After HCV was identified in 1989, IFN, Ribvarin, and pegylated IFN were the first therapies. In 2013, the first IFN-free treatment (sofosbuvir) was approved.

Indeed, sofosbuvir is currently being marketed as Sovaldi by Gilead. The drug has been found to cure 90 percent of subjects with type 1 infection, though it is currently a hot topic for conversation in the industry because of its price tag. However, there are several other players on the market however that could be a future option for patients. Roche’s mericitabine is in development to be used in combination with other drugs such as danoprevir and telaprevir, setrobuvir, and ritonavir/ribavirin. Bristol-Myers Squibb is also working on daclatasvir- based therapies and beclabuvir. Regulators in the U.S., the EU, and Japan are fast-tracking novel therapies to bring therapies to market sooner.

HCV Prices

Gilead’s Sovaldi has proven extremely effective, however the $84,000 price tag for a 12-week course is not feasible for most HCV patients. Patients, physicians, insurance companies, and legislators have all weighed in on the controversy, concluding that the development of new drugs to compete with Sovaldi may drive down the cost. Stefan Wiktor, head of the global hepatitis program at the World Health Organization (WHO), said in Nature Magazine that the controversy was the same with HIV/AIDS drugs and through concerted effort, HIV drugs dropped from $10,000 per patient to $100. Because of pressure from non-governmental agencies, academics, and patients, advocates for less expensive drugs succeeded in making generics and finding distributors for low- and middle-income countries.

The Reuters report, however, finds that competition “is likely to be instrumental in bringing down the cost of treatment for HCV.”