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Hello! It’s Meghana. Today, we’re reading about the world’s costliest drug, plus we learn about immune senescence and a potential cause for a kidney autoimmune disease.
The need-to-know this morning
- Akebia Therapeutics won FDA approval for Vafseo, a treatment for anemia due to chronic kidney disease in patients on dialysis.
- Gilead Sciences licensed an experimental, IL-12-targeted cancer drug from Xilo Therapeutics. The drug, called XTX301, is designed to make immunologically “cold” tumors more vulnerable to immunotherapies.
When sticker shock also seems worth it
Last year, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review analyzed the newly approved gene therapy Lenmeldy to determine what might make for a cost-effective price, and came up with up to $3.9 million. That’s not a far cry from the price set by maker Orchard Therapeutics, which will be asking $4.25 million for the treatment, making it the world’s costliest drug.
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