A Boston-area biotech says it may have a found a way to handle the expected seven-figure cost of its experimental gene therapy: paying on installment. Bluebird Bio Inc. is developing plans to sell its first gene-replacement therapy, for a rare inherited blood disease, on a five-year installment plan, with each annual payment contingent on its treatment’s continued effectiveness. Bluebird,...
US biotech Bluebird Bio said it would sell its gene replacement therapy through a five-year instalment plan to tackle the expected $1m or more price of the treatment, designed for a rare inherited blood disease. CEO Nick Leschly said the total price end up considerably less than the $2.1m it said the treatment was intrinsically worth. The treatment for beta thalassemia, which affected 300,000 people globally and 1,000 in the US, could be cleared for sale by 2020. A new study has found that women who have had an abortion are at higher risk of developing breast cancer.