Scientific patents are supposed to protect inventors, but they can sometimes threaten access to care for many patients. This is why Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today opposes in a press release the Gilead laboratory’s patent application for Sofosbuvir, a drug against hepatitis C. The molecule is a key element in therapies. Since his arrival four years ago, the cure rate has increased significantly.
The company is already marketing this treatment in many countries at exorbitant prices, making it impossible to treat all patients. “Sofosbuvir is today out of reach for millions of patients because it is too expensive, and the treatment is not available or it is rationed because of its price”, explains Dr Isaac Chikwanha, specialist in hepatitis C at MSF. In Europe, it takes 55,000 euros for 12 weeks of treatment. The treatment costs even more in the United States. It is marketed for 1000 dollars a tablet, while it costs around a dollar to produce.
A useless patent that penalizes patients
This commercialization price is partly explained by the funding of research. It often takes many years and expensive trials to develop a drug. However, such amounts may raise questions. “The patent on sofosbuvir guarantees a monopoly situation for Gilead, and prevents access to affordable treatments, including generic drugs, in Europe and elsewhere,” says Aliénor Devalière, European policy specialist for CAME (Campaign for ‘Access to Essential Medicines) from MSF. For her, “the scientific knowledge which allowed the development of Sofosbuvir is not new”, and does not justify a new patent. By opposing it, the organization hopes that it will be revoked or that its duration will be limited.
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Hepatitis C: towards treatment for all patients?
Hepatitis C: patients demand generics of sofosbuvir
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