Bluebird’s US$ 1.78 million gene therapy to rank among the most expensive drugs

By PharmaCompass

2019-06-20

Impressions: 110 Article

Last week, Bluebird Bio Inc set the price for its gene therapy, Zynteglo, at US$ 1.78 million (Euro 1.58 million) over five years, after winning a conditional approval in Europe earlier this month to treat a rare genetic blood disorder.

At the same time, the GoodRx Research team released its quarterly list of most expensive drugs in the US. While GoodRx said “the same drugs continue to make the top of the list”, that may not be the case in the next quarter, as Zynteglo is likely to find its way there.

Bluebird has proposed an installment plan, with US$ 352,556 (Euro 315,000) paid upfront and four additional annual payments due only if the treatment continues to be effective.

Zynteglo was approved in Europe for patients aged 12 years or older with beta thalassemia who require regular blood transfusions and have no matching donor for a stem cell transplant. The inherited disorder limits the blood’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body.

Bluebird, which is also testing Zynteglo for sickle cell disease, said it expects the therapy to be approved for beta thalassemia in the US in 2020.

Pharmaceutical companies have been investing heavily in potentially life-changing gene therapies over the past few years. However, gene therapies come at a hefty price tag.

The GoodRx list has several gene therapies such as Zolgensma (that treats spinal muscular atrophy and carries a list price of US$ 2.1 million for a course of treatment), Luxturna (at US$ 850,000 a year, for treatment of retinal dystrophy) and Blincyto (at US$ 641,533 per year, for the treatment of a rare form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia — a cancer of the blood and bone marrow)

Zolgensma and Luxturna are respectively the first and second costliest medicines in the market, while Blincyto is the sixth most expensive drug. With a price tag of US$ 1.78 million, Zynteglo looks poised to figure in the GoodRx list in the forthcoming quarters.

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