1. Pink Sheet
  2. >>Market Access

Sickle Cell Gene Therapy: Medicaid Needs Solutions For High Upfront Costs Soon

 
• By Cathy Kelly

With gene therapies for sickle cell disease looming and two new expensive therapies of to a slow start, access challenges could prevent a large portion of patients from receiving treatment, a report from the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concludes. The report urges development of new payment models, offering five ideas.

Sickle cell anemia, 3D illustration showing blood vessel with normal and deformated crescent-like red blood cells
Sickle Cell Gene Therapy Will Force New Payment Models

As the leading insurers for most of the sickle cell disease population in the US, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and state Medicaid agencies should identify approaches to financing the upfront costs for high-cost curative therapies over the next two to three years, according to a new report released by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on 10 September.

In light of the recent approval of high-cost therapies and the prospect of even more expensive gene therapies on the horizon, the report offers overarching strategies for improving health care for the approximately 100,000 people in the US with sickle cell disease, a

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Pink Sheet for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Market Access

Most Favored Nation Pricing Policy Floated In Medicaid, Coming Back To Medicare?

 
• By Cathy Kelly

President Trump's ongoing interest in the policy, which would ensure the US government pays no more for prescription drugs than the lowest price available in comparable countries, continues to gain attention.

Brazil’s Drug Pricing Shake Up Calls For More Robust Evidence From Companies

 
• By Francesca Bruce

Brazil’s drug pricing authorities are planning to introduce, among other things, a new drug category for biosimilars to ensure the pricing procedures for such medicines are reflected in the official pricing framework.

Brazil To Upgrade Pricing Framework To Keep Up With Market Developments

 
• By Francesca Bruce

Brazil plans to clarify its medicine pricing framework, for example by outlining the procedures for setting medicine prices and bring it up to date with recent developments in the sector.

England: HTA Sandbox Helping To Assess ‘Challenging’ Drugs And Indications

 
• By Eliza Slawther

England’s health technology assessment institute explains how its sandbox environment is helping to test new evaluation methods for drugs or indications with which it does not have experience, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

More from Pink Sheet

EU Wants Industry To Define ‘Trade Secrets’ Under Health Data Sharing Regulation

 
• By Eliza Slawther

The European Health Data Space Regulation is deliberately “vague” when it comes to defining trade secrets because the EU wants the pharma industry to make recommendations on safeguarding intellectual property, a policy officer for the European Commission says.

Safety Review Prompts EMA to Suspend Ixchiq Chikungunya Vaccine For Seniors

 
• By Neena Brizmohun

The European Medicines Agency is investigating whether Valneva’s Ixchiq is safe to use in the elderly, following reports of 17 serious adverse events, including two cases resulting in death, in people aged 62 to 89 years who received the vaccine. This follows actions by US and French authorities last month regarding Ixchiq’s use in people over 65.

US FDA’s Expanded Surprise Foreign Inspections: Impact And Enforcement Hoops

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

As the US FDA expands unannounced foreign inspections building on pilots in India and China, experts expect higher scrutiny of overseas sites and perhaps even an industry shakeout in the longer term, though staffing and enforcement challenges could slow things down.