Cystic fibrosis treatment cost set to soar with new therapies

New cystic fibrosis treatments are to significantly increase health care costs in the USA, according to research by US pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FPRX).

Groundbreaking treatments targeting gene mutations that cause the disease will become increasingly commonplace, but significantly more expensive than traditional therapies. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ (Nasdaq: VRTX) Kalydeco (ivacaftor) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2012, and treats a type of gene mutation found in around 4% of patients with cystic fibrosis. It costs $300,000 per year. A new combination of ivacaftor and lumacaftor is pending FDA approval to treat people aged 12 and above with a gene mutation found in around 50% of people with cystic fibrosis. Pricing for this drug is not yet public, but is expected to be similar to ivacaftor’s price.

Payers must manage cost of new treatments