Gilead Sciences Canada, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Health and Social Services Ministry has placed Sovaldi (sofosbuvir), the newest treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection approved for sale in Canada, on the Liste de médicaments (effective June 2, 2014). With this listing, Quebec becomes the first Canadian province to provide access to Sovaldi for treatment-naïve patients with genotypes 1 and 4 HCV infection regardless of liver severity.

The listing follows a Priority Review and evaluation by the Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) that concluded Sovaldi provides therapeutic and clinical value, is cost effective, is well tolerated, and offers important societal benefits for the broader population. INESSS reported several advantages of Sovaldi, including its short treatment duration (12 weeks), positive side effect profile (anemia and rashes), and administration of one pill once a day (with pegylated interferon and ribavirin) without the need for a specific diet. In addition, INESSS stated that Sovaldi fulfills a significant healthcare need in the treatment of genotype 4, as until now, only a combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin had been used.

For more details, go to: http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140602-913661.html