Regulators in the United States approved on Friday approved Harvoni, a pill to be taken every day to treat hepatitis C that is easier to take but is pricier compared to the existing treatments.

Manufactured by California-based Gilead Sciences, the combination pill has an 99 percent cure rate in trial patients after they took the drug for two to three months.

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While the combination is effective, the full price of a 12-week course of treatment is $94,500, which equates to $1,125 per pill

The pill combines ledipasvir and sofosbuvir, which is a previously approved hepa C drug marketed by Gilead under the brand name Sovaldi.

Sovaldi has already received criticism for its expensive price tag of $84,000 per treatment course, or $1,000 per pill.

John Martin, the chief executive officer of Gilead, said the firm was "working to ensure rapid and broad access."

"Unlike other serious chronic diseases, hepatitis C can be cured, and Harvoni offers patients the potential for a cure in as little as eight weeks," added Martin.

Harvoni is the first drug for hepatitis C that doesn't need to be administered with interferon or ribavirin, which is known to cause side effects such as nausea, fatigue and headaches.

Director Edward Cox of the Antimicrobial Products at the Food and Drug Administration said the new treatments were "changing the treatment paradigm" for patients afflicted with hepatitis C.

"Now, patients and health care professionals have multiple treatment options, including a combination pill to help simplify treatment regimens," he said.

Harvoni is the third medication that has received the green light from the FDA in the previous year to treat persistent hepatitis C infections.

The other drugs that were approved are Gilead's Sovaldi, which was approved in December 2013, and simeprevir, marketed by the New Jersey-based Janssen Therapeutics under the trade name Olysio.

TagsHepatitis C, hepatitis, Hepatitis treatment, Hepatitis C treatment, Sovaldi, Gilead Sciences, Harvoni, Olysio, Janssen Therapeutics, Ledispavir, Sofosbuvir, Simepavir