Gilead Sciences' hepatitis C drug Sovaldi has been surrounded by controversy due to its high price tag, but lower cost versions of the drug may be appearing in India. The country's patent office rejected Gilead Sciences' key patent claim, according to a Bloomberg report.
In the wake of the patent rejection, companies such as Natco Pharma may begin work on their own, less expensive versions of the HCV drug. Larger pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer and Novartis AG, have had patents rejected in India as well, due to stricter standards, according to the report.
Gilead Sciences has the option to appeal the patent rejection.