The most expensive treatment in human history, gene therapy costs $2.8 million
A company has developed a successful therapy for the rarest genetic blood disorder, but it has been described as the costliest treatment in human history. The company claims that although this amount is high, the rare disease costs even more over a lifetime if there is no therapy. It is a cell-level gene therapy that is the first for people with a rare blood disorder and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. However, a one-time treatment costs $2.8 million, making it the most expensive treatment. The therapy has been named 'Zantiglo', a treatment for beta-thalassemia, as its patients require lifelong blood donations. However, tailoring a specific treatment for each patient is another aspect of this therapy. In this, stem cells are taken from the patient's blood marrow and some are genetically modified to make multiple copies of the correct gene that makes active red blood cells. Now these modified cells are injected into the human body. A one-time treatm...