Johnson & Johnson (JNJ:US) won U.S. approval
for its hepatitis C drug Olysio to be used in combination with
Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD:US)’s Sovaldi, making it the second all-oral
treatment available for the most common form of the virus.
The Food and Drug Administration cleared the once-daily
treatment for patients with hepatitis C genotype 1, J&J said
today in a statement. The combination allows Olysio to be used
without the standard therapies including ribavirin and
interferon, which are injections that have flu-like side
effects.
The price of hepatitis C treatments has been criticized by
insurers and lawmakers since Foster City, California-based
Gilead’s Sovaldi was approved in December with an $84,000 price
tag for a full course of treatment. The FDA on Oct. 10 cleared
Gilead’s Harvoni, a once-daily pill that treats patients with
the most common form of the virus without ribavirin or
interferon at an estimated cost of $94,500 for 12 weeks.
Read more... Labels: FDA Approval, Sovaldi + Olysio