Scientists are quite busy as of late, creating new medications that help advance the human race. The problem is, pesky big pharma keeps getting in the way by putting profits over life. We saw it over the past few years when the life-saving epipen drug that stops anaphylaxis in its tracks for a few dollars suddenly starts selling for as much as $700.
While that is incredibly expensive for something that saves lives, it doesn’t hold a candle to a new drug called Zolgensma. Developed by a Swiss drug company called Novartis, Zolgensma helps saves the lives of children who are born with spinal muscular atrophy. This disease kills hundreds of babies every year and finally a new medication has scored FDA approval.
It’s unlikely to be affordable for the vast majority of patients. The asking price for a drug they simply call “Z”? The answer is $2.125 million. Yes, that’s over 2 MILLION dollars. For a drug that stops spinal muscular atrophy. It’s a horrible disease that forces a child to lose complete control over their limbs and weaken their bodies to the point where they can’t even breathe.
“Z” and it’s Effectiveness
Z has been showing a lot of great promise in reversing the effects of spinal muscular atrophy. It works by using genetically modified viruses to shoot healthy copies of the damaged genetic code into the body of the child. Those viruses then make repairs that eventually relieve and even cure the symptoms. It’s an incredible feat of genetic engineering.
The company says the price tag is essentially a lifetime worth of treatment crammed into a single dose of Z that will ultimately save lives. They also expect that insurance companies are willing to cover at least most of the cost of the drug while offering payments plans to parents who cannot afford it otherwise.
“We’re talking about a lifetime of benefit being condensed down into a one-time treatment,” David Lennon, president of AveXis, Inc, which developed the drug, told NPR. “We’re not used to thinking about this that way. We’re used to a system of a chronic medication where we spread things out over years if not decades.”
Opponents of the Price
Because the price of Z is sky-high, there are many opponents to these types of sales tactics. With a price tag of $2 million and up, many parents will spend a lifetime paying for a single dose. Still, there’s more to the story. Novartis has claimed that the current price tag is a bargain at ‘half-price’ the $5 million estimate it’s worth.
Parent’s know that such a hefty price tag is insignificant when it comes to the life of their child and they’ll do whatever they can to pay it. Others say that sort of thinking is why companies continue upping the price for life-saving drugs. They say it’s irresponsible and may end in the death of a child whose parents ultimately couldn’t afford the drug.
At this point, it’s unknown if any insurance companies will actually take the brunt of the cost of Z. It’s probably just a stall tactic to prevent too many people from protesting against the company for making the drug so expensive.
