![\"article](\"https:\/\/patients.org.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/dsc_0584-825x550-1.webp\")
\nToday at\u00a0the International Conference on\u00a0HIV\/AIDS in\u00a0Melbourne activists held a\u00a0protest in\u00a0response to\u00a0the presentation of\u00a0Sofosbuvir, Gilead\u2019s new hepatitis\u00a0C virus (HCV) drug. The price of\u00a0one course\u2019s treatment with this drug will be\u00a080\u00a0000\u00a0EUR, what is\u00a016\u00a0times more than the course of\u00a0treatment with drugs of\u00a0other producers in\u00a0Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Although, as\u00a0clinical studies showed, this drug can cure a\u00a0patient for a\u00a0few months, compared with a\u00a0year or\u00a0even longer treatment with other drugs, activists harshly condemned and booed speech of\u00a0Gregg Alton, Gilead\u2019s Executive Vice President, for unbelievably high price. Despite the claims of\u00a0the head that the cost of\u00a0the drug will be\u00a0social and lower for the countries with lower income, he\u00a0denied this information in\u00a0the personal conversations. \u00abYesterday during personal conversation with Mr. Alton he\u00a0said that Ukraine will not be\u00a0able to\u00a0have advantage of\u00a0this discount and the company plans to\u00a0sell Sofosbuvir to\u00a0our country at\u00a0the same price\u00a0as, for example, to\u00a0France, which is\u00a080\u00a0000\u00a0EUR for the course, that\u2019s why all beautiful claims about social cost are an\u00a0open lie,\u00a0\u2014 told Olga Stefanyshyna, Executive Director of\u00a0CF\u00a0\u00abPatients of\u00a0Ukraine\u00bb, which represents the interests of\u00a0Ukrainian patients at\u00a0the conference. \u2014\u00a0None patient infected with hepatitis\u00a0C in\u00a0Ukraine can not afford\u00a0it. This means that 3,5 millions Ukrainians infected with hepatitis\u00a0C will never be\u00a0able to\u00a0get this new drug, \u00ab\u2014 she added.<\/p>\n
Activists were offended by\u00a0explanation of\u00a0Gilead\u2019s Executive Vice President that the price is\u00a0cheaper than a\u00a0liver transplant. \u00abExtortionate pricing will kill people, no\u00a0matter what the illness\u00a0\u2014 HIV, hepatitis, or\u00a0cancer,\u00bb\u00a0\u2014 said Edo Agustian, an\u00a0Indonesian activist co\u00a0infected with HIV and HCV.<\/p>\n
Today 150 million people in\u00a0the world have a\u00a0chronic hepatitis. And even though the illness has already been treated in\u00a0the world, it\u00a0kills 500,000 people each year. In\u00a0Ukraine, according to\u00a0civic activists\u2019 data, about 3.5 millions are infected with hepatitis.<\/p>\n
Hepatitis C\u00a0\u2014 is\u00a0the most common epidemic in\u00a0Ukraine. The illness is\u00a0dangerous as\u00a0everyone can be\u00a0infected at\u00a0hospital during manipulations with blood, at\u00a0dentist and even at\u00a0nail salon. The treatment is\u00a0inaccessible for most Ukrainians because of\u00a0the high cost.<\/p>\n
Contact:<\/p>\n