US Vs. EU: Is Cell And Gene Therapy Reimbursement Easier Stateside?

Some progress has been made in the pricing and reimbursement of one-time, potentially curative cell and gene therapies that require payers in the US and abroad to take a giant leap of faith regarding the value of these new types of medicines in the absence of long-term data. However, the developments are moving too slowly in the EU for some gene therapy companies, such as bluebird bio, to remain in that market – or at least to remain in Europe without a deep-pocketed partner.

Kristin Wolff, vice president of global policy and US government payer strategy at bluebird bio; Sarah Pitluck, head of global pricing and reimbursement at Roche Holding AG’s gene therapy subsidiary Spark Therapeutics, Inc