U.S. biotechnology company Gilead has conceded its first discounts in Germany on its key hepatitis C drugs Sovaldi and Harvoni, German business weekly WirtschaftsWoche reported.

The head of Gilead's German operations told the magazine that discounts from the list price of 60,000 euros ($67,242) per treatment had been negotiated with four of Germany's statutory health insurers but declined to give the size of the discounts.

"Thirty-five percent of people with statutory health insurance are already profiting from the discount agreements," Carsten Nowotsch said in an interview to be published on Monday, adding that more such contracts could follow.

Germany is Europe's biggest market for medicines, and dozens of healthcare agencies in Europe and as far away as Japan use German prices as references for their own.

For more details, go to: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/24/germany-gilead-idUSL6N0V30FI20150124