Gilead Licenses Hepatitis Drug

Gilead Sciences will license to seven Indian generic pharmaceutical firms the rights to sell its blockbuster hepatitis C drug Sovaldi in developing countries such as India and South Africa. Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) sells in the U.S. for about $1,000 per pill or $85,000 for a full course of treatment. The Indian companies will likely sell the medication at a far lower price. They will pay a 7% royalty to Gilead, which in turn will help them develop their manufacturing processes. The nonprofit Doctors Without Borders is criticizing the pact for not including middle-income countries such as China, Brazil, and Thailand.