KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (Bernama) --

1. Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) that spreads through blood contacts such as blood transfusion, needle sharing, and so on. Currently, there are approximately 500,000 patients in Malaysia who are infected with Hepatitis C and it is estimated that 2,000 new cases are reported every year. To make matters worse, the cost of treatment for Hepatitis C is exorbitantly expensive and making it less accessible to the patients.
 
2. As Hepatitis C has become a major public health concern in Malaysia, it is crucial to increase access to its treatment for the benefit of the nation. Therefore, the Cabinet has approved the use of Rights of Government under Patent Act 1983 (Act 291) by exploiting the patented invention of Sofosbuvir tablet 400mg. The last time Malaysia instigated the Rights of Government was in 2003 for anti-retroviral drugs (treatment for HIV infection).This sets Malaysia to be the first country to initiate such move in the world.
 
3. The decision to initiate the Rights of Government was made after the MOH efforts to be included in the Medicine Patent Pool (MPP) and price negotiations with patent holder were unsuccessful. Through the implementation of The Rights of Government, the cost of treatment will be lower and more patients can be treated. At the same time, access to treatment can be improved to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target set by the United Nation (UN)and targets of the World Health Organisation’s Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016-2021 to eliminate viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030. 
 
4. The procurement of the 400mg Sofosbuvir tablet will be in accordance with the current government procurement procedures. The implementation of the Rights of Government for the 400mg Sofosbuvir tablet is for use in government facilities only (MOH and Armed Forces Hospitals), whereby at initial phase it will only be offered at 12 MOH Hospitals. The selection criteria of patients that will receive the treatment will follow the clinical guideline set by the clinical specialist. 
 
5. This decision was made in view of the best interest of the patients, and to improve Hepatitis C treatment access in order to protect the public’s health. It is hoped that the implementation of the Rights of Government will enable more Hepatitis C patients to receive treatment and at the same time reduce the cost of treating complications arising from the Hepatitis C disease.
 
 
Y.B. DATUK SERI DR. S. SUBRAMANIAM 
MINISTER OF HEALTH MALAYSIA 

Source : Ministry of Health Malaysia

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name : NOR SUZAMAN ABDUL RAHMAN
Tel :  03-8883 3470 / 013-399 7025
Email : n.suzaman@moh.gov.my

--BERNAMA