by Cheong MWL, Piedagnel J-M, Khor SK. The Lancet Global Health 2021; 9(11)e1496-1497. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00357-0
Summary: Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments for hepatitis C are not available to many patients around the world because of high prices, intellectual property protections, and inaccessible testing and treatment services. DNDi has developed a safe and effective DAA, ravidasvir, through an alternative R&D pathway with affordability at its core and in collaboration with low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). Following successful clinical trials, ravidasvir was registered as a treatment for HCV in Malaysia in June 2021. This experience shows that affordability and public health priorities can be placed at the heart of drug development, by working with industrial partners who choose to maximize societal impact rather than profit, and government partners who will take the lead to address complex healthcare challenges.
