Merck’s HCV cocktail theoretically should threaten Gilead’s Sovaldi and AbbVie’s Viekira Pak since it has achieved cure rates of 91 to 100 percent for patients with HCV genotype 1. However, AbbVie entered into an agreement with Express Scripts in December to make Viekira Pak the exclusive option for patients with genotype 1 HCV. Also, Gilead entered into exclusive deals with Anthem and CVS since then.
Additionally, the FDA rescinded Merck’s application for fast track approval of its HCV cocktail, which could delay the launch of the drug to 2016. By that point, the market could be no longer large enough or closed, according to the report.
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