timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science...cleshow/49966218.cms
NEW DELHI: In a move that comes as a huge relief to patients of chronic Hepatitis C, the apex committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has granted a waiver of local trials for crucial new direct-acting antiviral drugs treating the disease.
The waiver for sofosbuvir and ledipasvir co-formulation and for daclatasvir is expected to bring the generic version of these drugs, which cost a fraction of the branded versions, into the Indian market within weeks. Some patients facing a threat to life currently import these drugs at a huge cost.
According to the World Health Organisation, about 12 million people are infected with Hepatitis C in India. India is now one of the few countries where generics are available for interferon-free treatment. Pegylated interferon is an old, expensive, injectable chemotherapy drug with serious side effects used to treat Hep C in combination with sofosbuvir and ribavirin.