Panel: Expensive Gilead Pills Are Cost-Effective

Health insurers that have been reluctant to cover hepatitis C drugs with list prices of $1,000 a daily dose will face more pressure after a report concluding the medications are “cost-effective” given their benefits.

The report, still in draft form, is by an influential panel of doctors and medical experts that helps insurers set policies. While insurance companies already cover the sickest patients for treatments by Gilead Sciences Inc. and AbbVie Inc., they’ve resisted extending coverage to people who aren’t yet showing damage from the disease. Even with negotiated discounts, the pills can cost hundreds of dollars a day and ...