Biocon launched Gilead Sciences’ Hepatitis C drug – CIMIVIR-L in India

BIopharmaceutical company Biocon on Thursday said it has launched a generic version of Gilead Sciences’ Hepatitis C drug, Harvoni, in India.

The medication, CIMIVIR-L, is a fixed dose combination of Ledipasvir 90mg and Sofosbuvir 400mg, and an improved version of Gilead’s drug Sovaldi. A once-a-day oral therapy will be offered to patients in India at a fraction of the global cost, Biocon said, without specifying the pricing. Mid-sized pharmaceutical company Natco Pharma, which has received a licence from Gilead to sell a generic version of the drug in India, sells a bottle of 28 tablets at about Rs 20,000. Gilead’s Sovaldi is a far more effective and better-tolerated treatment than older injection products, but the cost is huge. A 12-week therapy costs $94,500 in the US, which makes it unaffordable to many.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) recently approved the sale of Sofosbuvir-Ledipasvir combination, which is being manufactured in India under a licence from Gilead.

Cipla also announced that it is launching Hepcvir-L, once-a-day fixed-dose oral combination therapy (Ledipasvir-Sofosbuvir) that has been approved for chronic hepatitis C patients.