November 30, 30 activists of EECA region sent an open letter to the Galien Prix Committee expressing their outrage about the fact that the Award was presented to MSD for the drug boceprevir. Among other things, the activists stated that «The drug VICTRELIS ® (boceprevir 200 mg), for which Merck received such an important award, is taken only in combination with pegylated interferons, and the cost of boceprevir treatment can reach up to $40,000 USD (not taking into account the price for peginterferons, according to information obtained from public sources)…
Furthermore, in many countries where the disease burden is particularly heavy, boceprevir is still not accessible, and it is unlikely to become accessible in the near future given the current pricing. It is estimated that 130-170 million people are infected with viral hepatitis C worldwide, and that in the EECA region approximately 7 million people are living with this disease. The average wage in EECA countries is approximately $6,000 a year, which means that the drug is not accessible to the majority of patients requiring it».
