The company announced the price of the gene therapy, called Lyfgenia, at $3.1 million. But the 12-year-old boy’s treatment was covered by health insurance.
In the US, 12-year-old Kendrick Cromer became the first person in the world to treat sickle cell disease using a newly approved gene therapy. The New York Times reported it.
Treatment can make the life of her dreams possible. After all, a rare blood disease prevented the child from living a full life: a simple ride on a bicycle or walking down the street could end in an attack of burning pain.
But recently, the US regulator FDA allowed two companies (Bluebird Bio and Vertex Therapeutics) to treat patients with sickle cell disease using a method based on CRISPR gene editing.
He is currently being treated at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington. For gene therapy, doctors will need hundreds of millions of Kendrick’s stem cells.
On May 1, doctors took stem cells from his bone marrow, which were then transformed by Bluebird Bio in a special laboratory. Doctors say it will take several months to complete the process.
The treatment has already helped patients in clinical trials, but Kendrick is Bluebird Bio’s first commercial patient.
An estimated 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease, most of whom are black. People are born with the disease when they inherit a mutated gene for the disease from each parent.
It was previously reported that scientists have created a smartphone application that can help identify early signs of frontotemporal dementia.
Source: korrespondent
I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.