Public access for Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) EPCLUSA will be provided in Ontario to adults who need the drug for the hepatitis C treatment. Besides assisting the patients who need the drug, the move will also help Canada honor the commitment of eliminating hepatitis C that the country made to the World Health Organization. EPCLUSA is manufactured by Gilead Sciences.
“Broader access to EPCLUSA, particularly at the earlier stage of the disease, means that we can move more quickly to help patients achieve a cure and improve their quality of life,” a director of a regional program for hepatitis and a professor of medicine, Dr. Curtis Cooper, said.
12 weeks of consistent use
The recommended dosage of EPCLUSA is one tablet consumed on a daily basis for three months. It is suitable for patients who have reached the majority age and who are not suffering from cirrhosis. But if they already have cirrhosis it should be compensated cirrhosis. For patients suffering from decompensated cirrhosis, the drug should be taken alongside ribavirin.
Prior to getting approved, there were four international studies conducted involving 1,035 patients. The phase 3 trials showed the drug to be effective. With regards to the adverse effects of the drug, nausea, fatigue and headaches were the common side effects. However, the incidence of these adverse events was comparable to what those patients taking the placebo were experiencing.
Ontario worst affected province
Prior to the development, an agreement had been signed between the federal, territorial and provincial governments and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance with a view to availing this treatment to the public. In the province of Ontario, an estimated 102,000 individuals are believed to be suffering from chronic HCV while in the entire Canada the figure is estimated to be 250,000. The most common type in Canada is the genotype 1 with slightly more than 64% of those infected with hepatitis C having this kind of infection. Genotype 3 infection takes the second position with regards to prevalence followed by the genotype 2 infection.
In Wednesday’s trading session, shares of Gilead Sciences Inc edged downwards by 0.66% to close the day at $68.83.
