More than a dozen nations in the European Union have joined forces to try to negotiate a lower price for Sovaldi (sofosbuvir), Gilead’s newest drug to treat the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which was recently approved in the EU, Yahoo News reports.

Although Sovaldi is considered a major advancement to hep C treatment because it works far better and faster than other drugs on the market today, many European health authorities argue that paying nearly €68,000 per patient for a full course of treatment would likely devastate their already burdened health care systems.

So far, 14 out of 28 EU nations have signed on to the effort. Coalition members say price negotiations will still take place on a country-by-country basis, but members will openly exchange information and discuss potential deals among one another.

It is estimated that 185 million people are currently living with hepatitis C worldwide. Some 350,000 people die from hep C-related liver disease annually, and up to 4 million people around the world are newly infected every year. Most people living with the virus do not know they have it.

To read the full Yahoo News report, click here.