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Jan 10, 2018

Gene therapy is back into play after a decade-long failed deliveries. 2017 was a golden year in gene therapy arena, various companies are aggressively developing gene therapy based treatments targeting life-threatening indications. Spark therapeutics got USFDA approval for the first-ever gene therapy based blindness treatment Luxturna. The therapy will help patients with a faulty gene in DNA i.e. RPE65 gene. The company will insert a functional RPE65 gene into the patients DNA to replace the defective gene resulting in vision restoration. It’s a one-time treatment with a hefty price tag of around USD 1 million making it a long shot for the patients. Luxturna got the approval last month and according to the spark therapeutics the treatment will cost around USD 425000 per injection excluding the cost of operation which will further add around USD 4000 – USD 5000 to the same. For justifying the hefty price tag spark therapeutics stated that “the cost for a lifetime of blindness including lost earnings and caregiver wages can easily exceed $1 million”.  Being a breakthrough treatment based on gene therapy Luxturna surely is a hot topic in the pharmaceutical industry with experts analyzing the potential of the therapy and price associated with it.

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