Gilead licenses hepatitis C drug to Cipla, Ranbaxy, 5 others

US drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc said on Monday it has licensed its hepatitis C drug to seven companies including Cipla Ltd and Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd to make it available in 91 developing countries including India.

Cadila Healthcare , Mylan Laboratories Ltd, Sequent Scientific Ltd , Strides Arcolab Ltd and Hetero Drugs Ltd are the others who will now be able to make and sell the Sovaldi generic, the company said in a statement.

The companies will be allowed to set their own prices for the generic drug, and will pay a royalty on their earned sales to Gilead, it said.

 

Gilead's Sovaldi, chemically sofosbuvir, is hailed as a breakthrough in treating hepatitis C, but the company has come under fire over its product's $1,000-per-pill price tag in the United States.