A newly-approved drug could drastically change the conversation about pharmaceutical pricing

Thomson Reuters US regulators on Thursday approved a new once-daily pill for the liver-destroying hepatitis C virus made by Merck & Co Inc, which said it will sell the drug at a lower list price than its competitors. The list price for Zepatier will be $54,600 for a 12-week regimen, which Merck said it expects "to be in the range of net prices" for comparable treatments. Gilead Sciences Inc, which secured an early lead in the lucrative market for oral hepatitis C drugs with the $1,000-per-pill ...