Hepatitis C is a disease that has few early symptoms, is difficult to diagnose, but is a stealthy silent killer. Now the Malaysian government has registered a first-of-its-kind drug for the dreaded disease, offering hope to millions who seek an affordable and accessible treatment for the disease.
The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), which partnered with the Malaysian government for the breakthrough drug, said the idea was to work with middle-income countries in order to develop a treatment. The drug in question, Ravidasvir, was given approval in June, about five years into the DNDi and Malay government collaboration. Clinical trials were initially done in Thailand and Malaysia.
This drug is a direct-acting antiviral (DAA) developed with Pharco, an Egyptian drug maker, and is an endeavour to bring some competition into a market which is run by the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies.
About 71 million people live with Hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus that is linked to cirrhosis and is a leading cause of liver cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There is no vaccine against the disease, which often has vague symptoms until the liver is infected.