Fans of “This Old House”, probably saw last winter’s series about a family doing a heavy remod of their “mid century modern” house, to accommodate the needs of their son, who is suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and condemned to a short life of deteriorating mobility.
A gene therapy treatment was reported on the news last night. The cost? $3.2M
I did. They clearly spent more than the house can ever be worth, but good on them.
How much can you afford?
The Captain
List price and price paid will be two different things. I’m sure the drug company still needs treatment numbers to prove its effectiveness to get more insurance companies to cover it or at least part of it. So there will be some discount applied. Plus, places like St. Jude are doing gene therapy research and if they are involved with this, can/will be whatever the family can afford. Even if it is $0.
When ever I see numbers like this, I think back to the cost of the first VCR and how things have changed since then. Same will eventually happen here.
Not a chance.
As the NY Times explains, some PBMs are not covering the gerneric, and forcing the patient to buy the name brand drug at 10X or 20x the cost because that delivers the biggest kickback to the insurer.
You just have to buy off the right Republicans or Corporate Democrats.
intercst
The PBMs are controlled by the big pharmacies and health care providers. The notion they care about patient outcomes is so naive it is touching.
People will continue to support crony capitalism and Private Equity in health care until it kills them. {{ LOL }}
intercst