850 000 $ against blindness : gene therapy reserved for the rich

ponomarencko/epictura

Published the 04.01.2018 to 12h07

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Keywords :

blindness

The two-speed medicine has never been so close. The Luxturna®, a new treatment risk, for the time being, be reserved for the rich. This medicine against blindness is poised to become the most expensive in the world with a dose by eye estimated to be $ 425,000.
Its manufacturer Spark Therapeutics based in Philadelphia, insists on the fact that a single dose by eye is necessary. Only $ 850 000 will therefore be required…
The laboratory was aware that a storm of criticism was waiting for him when he would reveal the exorbitant price of treatment. To facilitate ” access to all “, a payment by installments will be proposed to the sick.

Rare, innovative and refundable

It is in reality a gene-therapy : it aims to repair the gene to the origin of the blindness. Even if some things appear to justify such a price when it comes to treating people, the team of Philadelphia defends his product relentlessly.
First, there are very few patients carriers of the genetic anomaly and affected by this treatment. In fact, 1 000 persons are currently eligible to this drug, and only 10 to 20 cases per year will be added. Also, the manufacturers advocate a new technology, representing a great innovation.
These two arguments concrete are concreted by a ruse of the laboratory of Pennsylvania. As they sell the product to a sum to be unreasonable for almost all of the citizens, they promise a refund in the event of failure of the treatment. A drug surrounding the million dollars yes, but only if it works !

An approach that will have to adapt : in the hematologic malignancies, the CAR-T cell rescue of patients with leukemia or lymphomas refractory, will be charged also nearly a million dollars