FDA approves Gilead's breakthrough hepatitis C pill

[riky]

FDA approves Gilead's breakthrough hepatitis C pill

(Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Friday approved Gilead Sciences Inc's Sovaldi, also known as sofosbuvir, as a potential cure for chronic infection with the liver-destroying hepatitis C virus. The once-a-day pill is the first approved to treat certain types of hepatitis C infection without the need for interferon, an injected drug that can cause severe flu-like symptoms. Hepatitis C, which is often undiagnosed, affects about 3.2 million Americans, killing more than 15,000 each year, mostly from illnesses such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. Most patients will be treated with the $7,000-a-week drug for 12 weeks, resulting in a total price of $84,000, according to Gilead spokeswoman Cara Miller.

Source: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login