Australia’s TGA clears the way for Gilead’s Sovaldi for hepatitis C

Australian health care regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved the use of US anti-virals specialist Gilead Sciences’ (Nasdaq: GILD) Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) for the treatment of hepatitis C in Australia.

Gilead has come up for a great deal of criticism relating to the price of this new drug – dubbed the $1,000 a day pill – but which has nevertheless demonstrated remarkable efficacy.

This is the first step in making this new treatment accessible to Australians living with chronic hepatitis C, according to consumer advocacy group Hepatitis Australia, which says it “welcomes the TGA listing of this transformative new treatment,” which has very high cure rates combined with reduced side effects.