Merck's Zepatier set to shake up hepatitis C market; Report

11 February 2016

The introduction of Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) recently-approved drug Zepatier (elbasvir/grazoprevir) to the hepatitis C treatment space will shake up a market long-dominated by Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD).

The combination of Zepatier’s excellent clinical profile and highly competitive pricing will play a major role in encouraging its uptake, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.

Clinical trial data have shown that Zepatier, which was approved in the USA last month (The Pharma Letter January 29) for the treatment of hepatitis C virus genotypes 1 and 4, has a similar efficacy and safety profile to Gilead’s Harvoni (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir). The latter has been one of the most profitable drugs in the hepatitis C market by virtue of its efficacy, safety and convenience of use. Since its approval in October 2014, Harvoni generated impressive sales of over $12 billion in the USA alone by the end of 2015.

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