Gilead, Massachusetts Agree on Hepatitis C Drug Rebates

Gilead Sciences’ hepatitis C drug Harvoni will be cheaper for members of Massachusetts’s Medicaid program after the state reached a deal with the manufacturer to provide rebates for the drugs, state officials announced June 30.

The rebates could significantly lower the prices of the drug, which has been criticized as being too expensive for states to afford and which has sparked a firestorm of legislative and regulatory debate over the cost of specialty pharmaceuticals. Harvoni has a cure rate that exceeds 90 percent, but it costs up to $94,500, depending upon the drug and regimen, before rebates or discounts.

The ...