As a new crop of hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapies likely hits the market this fall, Gilead Sciences is poised to continue dominating the field, according to a poll of physicians conducted by Decision Resources Group. The private research firm surveyed specialists treating people with hep C and found that 40 percent expected to prescribe Gilead’s fixed-dose combination tablet of Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and ledipasvir in the next six months to their patients with genotype 1 of the virus.

The Sovaldi-ledipasvir pill is pending approval, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set to rule on it by October 10.

Sovaldi currently has 70 percent of the hep C market share. Janssen’s Olysio (simeprevir), meanwhile, has a market share of nearly a quarter; it is mostly being prescribed in combination with Sovaldi.

The poll found that, among those people with hep C who prematurely discontinued regimens based on Sovaldi or Olysio, problems with insurance coverage or high out-of-pocket costs were the main reasons.

The physicians polled were more likely to be aware of the fact that Sovaldi-ledipasvir is pending FDA approval than they were to know about Bristol-Myers Squibb’s application for daclatasvir and asunaprevir or AbbVie’s application for its “3D” regimen. Physician awareness of the Sovaldi-ledipasvir filing has risen recently, but many clinicians are still in the dark about all these emerging therapies.

“Our findings suggest that in the next six months, HCV treatment will once again undergo a significant transformation, with Gilead’s sofosbuvir/ledipasvir regimen expected to rapidly gain market share,” Decision Resources Group director Brenda Perez-Cheeks, PhD, said in a release. “However, near-term competitors that offer favorable pricing and cost sensitivity of payers will likely be a constraint on the uptake of this regimen.”


To read the press release, click here.