FDA approved one of the most expensive drugs ever
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its green light to one of the most expensive drugs ever and the first medicinal treatment for a rare disease, reports AOL.
BioMarin Pharmaceuticals manufactured the $700,000 drug, which is called Brineura and treats a form of Batten disease CLN2.
Th rare genetic disorder damages the nervous system and can cause symptoms ranging from seizures to trouble coordinating muscles to vision loss. Brineura is approved for kids who are at least three years old.
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BioMarin estimates that between 1,200 to 1,600 children across the globe have the condition ,85% of whom live outside the United States.
Although patients will not have to pay that much for the drug, the whooping price tag adds to the controversy surrounding high prices for rare diseases drugs.
The most expensive drug one the market is Horizon Pharma’s Ravic, which is $793,632 per year.
Drug makers, specially those focusing on rare diseases, justify high list prices by arguing that it’s extremely difficult to discover groundbreaking treatments that affect just a very small percentage of the population.
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