Gilead’s Sovaldi patent rejected by China

Humanitarian aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says it has learned that the Chinese patent office has just denied US biotech giant Gilead Science’s (Nasdaq: GILD) request for a key patent on its blockbuster hepatitis C drug Sovaldi (sofosbuvir).

This drug, together with other antivirals, is the backbone of several newer, more effective curative treatments for hepatitis C, yet is exorbitantly priced in many countries, restricting access for people who need it, says MSF. Hepatitis C is a global public health crisis, with at least 150 million people living with the disease, and 350,000-500,000 people die each year from complications of it.

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