Kendric Cromer is a 12-year-old boy from the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and the first to receive Lyfgenia, a gene therapy treatment created by Somerville, Mass.-based Bluebird Bio. Kendric’s treatment, which costs about $3.1 million, is covered by his family’s insurance. He underwent the first part of treatment at Washington, D.C.-based Children’s National Hospital, in which physicians removed his bone marrow stem cells, which Bluebird will genetically modify for his treatment. The modified cells will be returned in three months.
The FDA gave two companies authorization to sell gene therapy to people with sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder that affects roughly 100,000 people, most of them Black.
Bluebird estimates it can only treat 85 to 105 patients each year with sickle cell or beta thalassemia, who can receive a similar gene therapy. Children’s National, meanwhile, said it can accept only 10 gene therapy patients a year.
Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit
