The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a futuristic new approach to treating cancer, clearing a Novartis therapy that has produced unprecedented results in patients with a rare and deadly cancer. The price tag: $475,000 for a course of treatment.
That sounds staggering to many patients — but it’s far less than analysts expected.
advertisement
The therapy, called a CAR-T, is made by harvesting patients’ white blood cells and rewiring them to home in on tumors. Novartis’s product is the first CAR-T therapy to come before the FDA, leading a pack of novel treatments that promise to change the standard of care for certain aggressive blood cancers.
Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT+ and enjoy your first 30 days free!
GET STARTED Log In
Previous article：
Medical mystery: When an infection after surgery isn’t what it seems
Next article： New Eli Lilly Alzheimer’s data poses Medicare coverage conundrum
Next article： New Eli Lilly Alzheimer’s data poses Medicare coverage conundrum
