Publications
Publications
- October 2014 (Revised July 2022)
- HBS Case Collection
Gilead: Hepatitis C Access Strategy (A)
By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Vikram Rangan and David E. Bloom
Abstract
Gilead had come up with an innovative drug for Hepatitis C, which affected 180 million people worldwide. The drug was priced at $1,000 a pill for the US market. Gilead had to decide how to price and market the pill in developing countries that bore the brunt of the disease. The company had earned accolades for its work in HIV/AIDS, where its innovative medicines now accounted for 60% of all patients on Anti-Retroviral (ARV) medicines. Much of this was accomplished through generic licensing, which brought a $10,000/year treatment regimen down to $100! Should the company replicate that strategy for Hepatitis C? If so, how would its US Healthcare customers, who were paying $84,000 per patient, react? On the other hand, Gilead had to balance the interests of its shareholders, who paid $11 billion for an acquisition that led to the new Hepatitis C drug.
Keywords
Healthcare; Pharmaceuticals; Pricing; Access To Care; Emerging Markets; Health Care and Treatment; Price; Strategy; Ethics; Health Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry
Citation
Rangan, V. Kasturi, Vikram Rangan, and David E. Bloom. "Gilead: Hepatitis C Access Strategy (A)." Harvard Business School Case 515-025, October 2014. (Revised July 2022.)