Breakthrough Hepatitis C treatment set to enter India soon

WASHINGTON: A breakthrough treatment to treat Hepatitis C virus that causes liver disease, and failure, will soon be available in India as 11 Indian firms have been

WASHINGTON: A breakthrough treatment to treat Hepatitis C virus that causes liver disease, and failure, will soon be available in India as 11 Indian firms have been given licences by its US manufacturer following an approval from US authorities.

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A drug called Epclusa, which treats all genotypes of the Hepatitis C virus developed by Gilead Sciences, was last week approved by the US Food and Drug Administration( FDA ).

Gilead Sciences, together with its 11 partners in India, are pioneering a voluntary licensing model that transfers technology and Intellectual Property for latest treatment sand cur es for viral Hepatitis and HIV.

Hepatitis C virus affects an estimated 12 million in India.

“The approval of Epc lusa represents an important step forward in the global effort to control and potentially eliminate HCV as it provides a safe, simple and effective cure,” said Ira Jacobson, MD, chairman of the department of medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York.