Sen Bernie Sanders (I, Vt) has urged Robert McDonald, secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to enlist third parties to manufacture the patented hepatitis C drugs in the interest of facilitating cost-effective treatment (http://1.usa.gov/1T1LN0S) for veterans, who are infected at a rate 3 times higher than that of the general US population (http://1.usa.gov/1KK1ZOR). The letter references the drug Solvadi (sofosbuvir), a medication used to treat hepatitis C that is manufactured by Gilead Sciences. The medication is currently priced at $1000 per pill, or $84 000 for a full course of treatment. In his letter, Sanders cited a legal statute that would allow Gilead to seek reimbursement from the VA in federal claims court.