A day after the infusion against a hereditary disease was approved, the group set the price at a new record.
Pharmaceutical giant CSL Behring developed Hemgenix to treat hemophilia B. In the hereditary disease – also called haemophilia – the blood does not clot or only slowly. The cause is a missing protein, which is why hemophiliacs in the hospital had to receive blood clotting factor intravenously on a regular basis.
With the new Hemgenix therapy, a gene is introduced into the body with a single infusion, which allows the liver to produce the blood clotting factor that is not present. Clinical tests showed a 94 percent success rate. In the US and Europe alone, 16 million people have hemophilia B.
Group: Only conventional therapy costs much higher
Just a day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the go-ahead, Behring cost $3.5 million per infusion, making it the world’s most expensive drug. The argument: The cost of traditional treatment over the lifetime of the haemophilia was much higher.
The most expensive drug to date is Zynteglo for the blood disorder beta thalassemia. It costs $2.8 million per dose.
Source: Krone
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