Roche cuts Hepatitis C drug cost by 65% for govt institutions

Drug major Roche has reduced the prices of its Hepatitis C treatment drug 'Exxura' by 65 per cent across all government institutions in India.

After the price reduction, the medicine is now available at Rs 3,250 per pre-filled syringe plus taxes across all government institutions in the country, Roche said in a statement.

The move to reduce its cost of therapy is in line with Roche's commitment to treat patients with Hepatitis C, which continues to be a substantial disease burden in the northern states of India..., it added.

Exxura is available as a pre-filled syringe version to the patients, which offers dosing accuracy and convenience, the company said.

Commenting on the development, Director - Market Access for Roche India V Simpson Emmanuel said: "Roche is committed to working with the government and other stakeholders to control Hepatitis C infection..."

The company, quoting WHO, said 12 million people are chronically infected with Hepatitis C infection in India.