For $50 (about R700)‚ patients around the world have been cured of the once deemed incurable disease hepatitis C. However, the same cure would cost $10,000 (R140,000) in the private sector in SA, but in the US the price is $100,000 (R1.4m). New data released at the World Hepatitis Summit held in São Paulo‚ Brazil‚ this week shone a spotlight on the pricing of hepatitis C drugs, one of the most controversial areas of medicine pricing. Speaking at the summit on Thursday‚ University of Liverpool pharmacologist Andrew Hill explained that the tandem of drugs‚ sofosbuvir and daclatasvir‚ used for hepatitis C [under the brand names Sovaldi and Daklinza, respectively] have widely discrepant prices in different countries. The two drugs cost about $78 in India‚ $174 in Egypt‚ $6,000 in Australia‚ $77,000 in the UK‚ and $96,404 the US. In some countries‚ people who cannot afford the first-world prices of the medicines join together to make "international buyers’ clubs" and import generics from...
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