Following today’s announcement (30^th April) that NHS England’s partnership with Gilead, Merck and AbbVie is expected eliminate hepatitis C in the UK in the next decade;
James Mather, Senior Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on this landmark partnership:

“The approach planned by NHS England, along access to direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) from the partnered companies, is to target currently undiagnosed and undertreated populations, including the homeless and mentally ill. This targeted approach will lead to a rapid increase in diagnosis rate amongst these populations, coupled with the high cure rate of DAAs, will cause the hepatitis C prevalence to drop significantly to approximately 2,750 in the UK, by 2026.”

IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION: Please click here for chart

“The procurement approach of NHS England has allowed it to negotiate low prices with Gilead, Merck and AbbVie for five hepatitis C therapies. As we approach the WHO’s target for the elimination of hepatitis C by 2030, GlobalData expects that more deals will be struck between these three companies and public health bodies globally. Gilead has already secured a first of its kind subscription based deal to supply Louisiana’s Department of Health, and other US health departments are now seeking similar partnerships.“