Spark Avoids Igniting Pricing Firestorm With Savvy Launch Messages

US launch of gene therapy Luxturna could set tone for attention to extremely high priced therapies in 2018. So far, company seems to be doing things right.

Sparks
Spark seems unlikely to get burned by its pricing strategy. • Source: Tom Bullock

Spark Therapeutics Inc. is a small company, and its first product is for a very small market. But the launch of Luxturna could have an extremely big impact on the broader debate over drug pricing in 2018.

The one-time therapy – approved by the US FDA Dec. 19 – carries an extraordinarily high price: $425,000 per injection, or a per patient cost of $850,000 assuming treatment in...

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