Japan Approves Muscular Dystrophy Drug Price of 300 M. Yen

Tokyo, Feb. 13 (Jiji Press)–An advisory panel to Japan’s health minister decided Friday to allow public health insurance coverage for a gene therapy for muscular dystrophy beginning Feb. 20 and set the drug’s official price at about 304.97 million yen. Elevidys, a one-time treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in ambulatory patients aged 3-7, will become the country’s most expensive drug. Developed mainly by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, the drug is expected to improve patients’ motor function to some extent. In the United States, it is sold for about 500 million yen. Patients’ out-of-pocket costs will be very low, thanks to health insurance coverage and the government’s medical aid system for intractable diseases. As the number of patients eligible for the treatment is small, the health ministry expects that its impact on health insurance finances will be limited. In May last year, the ministry approved the production and sales of Elevidys in Japan for a limited period of three years, subject to verification of its effectiveness. The decision on health insurance coverage had been delayed, however, due to a review of safety measures following fatal cases involving the drug overseas. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]