EU regulators recommend approving Gilead's new hepatitis C drug

(Reuters) - Gilead Sciences Inc's new hepatitis C drug combination, which shares an active ingredient with blockbuster Sovaldi, was recommended for marketing approval by the European Medicines Agency. The EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use said it recommended approval of the combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir. Sofosbuvir is at the center of a patent battle between Gilead and Merck & Co Inc. (http://bit.ly/20JOyWA) Sovaldi generated $1.28 bln of sales in the first quarter for Gilead. (Reporting by Rahul B in Bengaluru; Editing by Don Sebastian)