Posted by Michael Wonder on 21 Feb 2019
Japan approves two gene treatments in bid to catch up
21 February 2019 - Potential revolutionary treatments have exorbitant price tags.
Japan is nearing approval for a pair of highly anticipated gene therapies, but a debate over health care costs seems sure to follow amid the anticipated growth of such expensive treatments.
Experts in the health ministry issued preliminary approvals Wednesday for Collategene, a regenerative treatment for damaged arteries, as well as the anti-leukaemia therapy Kymriah. The candidates next move to a formal certification, with drug prices to be set in May at the earliest.
AnGes, the Osaka based developer that has worked on Collategene since its founding in 1999, would become the first Japanese company to receive approval for a treatment that regenerates blood vessels.
