M. Izmirlieva

Preliminary Assessment of the Cost of Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infections with Sofosbuvir and First Generation Antivirals Across Eight Countries.

OBJECTIVES With nearly 170 million individuals, or 2-3% of the world’s population, infected by various strains of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to the World Health Organisation, treatment for the predominantly chronic and initially asymptomatic disease is crucial to avoiding advanced liver disease, including liver transplants, and possibly death. HCV infections are predominantly undiagnosed and undertreated, with approximately 75% of cases undiagnosed in the United States, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and less than 20% of HCV patients receiving treatment in Europe, according to Health Consumer Powerhouse. The new wave of HCV drugs reaching the market in 2014 offers higher cure rates and shorter treatment times; however, the new antivirals have been met with concerns regarding the costs associated with their use by payors and the World Health Organisation (WHO). We have set out to examine the individual treatment costs of sofosbuvir compared to first-generation antivirals in eight countries.

An Analysis of the 2014 Moroccan Drug Price Cuts

OBJECTIVE In 2013, the Moroccan government implemented Decree 2-13-852, which introduced a major overhaul of drug-pricing policy in the country. Under the decree, the ex-manufacturer price of originator products was set at the average ex-manufacturer price from a basket of countries, including Belgium, France, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Turkey. Generic medicine prices could not exceed those of comparators, and the decree introduced a set price difference between generic and comparator. The extent of this difference is tied to ex-manufacturer prices of the originator (see table).