Cell & Gene Therapy Review
The CGT sector is targeting global accessibility, offering hope for low- and middle-income countries
There was a time when the price of cell and gene therapies was inconsequential.
Just 20 years ago, the field was contending with clinical holds and federal inquiries, still trying to dig itself out from under the shadow cast by patient deaths in high profile trials.
“…a federal drug advisory panel on Friday will discuss the death of a French child in one such experiment and why, after so many years of hope, the technology has been such a disappointment,” read the lead-in of a New York Times piece in March 2005.
Cell and gene therapies, however, have made quick work of proving their worth.
“It is unquestionable that they’ve added a significant value in terms of efficacy responses, progression-free survival, and even survival long-term. Some of these very early patients have had durable responses for 10 years,” says Dr. Jorge Cortes, director for the Georgia Cancer Center. “Cell and gene therapies are a very valuable tool that’s here to stay.”