Egypt negotiates importing hepatitis C drug Harvoni at lower price

CAIRO: The administration is arranging importing Harvoni, a U.S. hepatitis C treatment created by Gilead Science, at a decreased value, Ministry of wellbeing representative Hossam Abdel Ghaffar declared Monday.

"We are as of now arranging with the U.S. organization to request a medication's bunch, which costs $400 per bottle; on the other hand, we are attempting to have it at a lower cost," Abdel Ghaffar said in Press proclamations.

In September 2014, Egypt imported 225,000 containers of Sovaldi, another hepatitis C treatment likewise produced by Gilead Science, and a comparable sum in March 2015.

The sticker cost for the Sovaldi is roughly $1,000 per pill in the U.S. market, with a 12-week course of treatment adding up to $84,000 as per Forbes magazine. On the other hand, the maker has given the prescription to Egypt at a 99 percent rebate, with Cairo financing a great part of the remaining expense to give treatment to its residents.

With an end goal to further decrease the solution's cost, Egypt-based Pharmed Healthcare will infuse 500,000 jugs of privately made Sovaldi in June, Youm7 reported.

Egypt has the most elevated rate of hepatitis C disease on the planet, as indicated by the United Nations Population Fund; 14.7 percent of the populace matured 15-49 have tried positive for the infection.

The Ministry of Health has said it treated 150,000 patients a year ago, and that it arrangements to treat 250,000 to 300,000 patients in 2015.