Licence For A New Hepatitis Treatment, With An Eye To Affordability

By Kim Treanor for Intellectual Property Watch

The Medicines Patent Pool has received a licence to develop ravidasvir, a new treatment for hepatitis C.

The new licence is in partnership with Pharco Pharmaceuticals in Egypt, and expands upon the licence issued in March 2016 by Presidio, the original developer of ravidasvir, and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).

Representatives from the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and DNDi stated that the new medicine, once developed, could increase options for affordable treatment for hepatitis C. The new drug is specifically targeted towards low and middle income countries, and allows for respective 4 and 7 percent royalties in these areas. Royalties for paediatric forms of the medication will be waived.

According to the MPP, 85.3 percent of those afflicted with hepatitis C live in countries considered low or middle income by the World Bank. In May 2016, 194 member states of the World Health Organization set a goal of elimination of hepatitis B and C by 2030.

Kim Treanor is an intern at Intellectual Property Watch and a student in the graduate program of International Affairs at the New School in New York, where she studies development, trade and public health.