Gene therapy is still a tough business

Turning genes and viruses into effective medicine was a decades-long process fraught with twists and turns. Now, turning those gene therapies into successful products remains a work in progress.

Bluebird Bio, whose gene therapy for a rare blood disorder will soon win European approval, is trying to learn from commercial disappointments past. As STAT’s Adam Feuerstein reports, Bluebird is pitching a plan that would let government health agencies pay for its product in installments over five years. The company hasn’t said how much the treatment will cost, but it could well exceed $1 million for a one-time dose.

“This is not an easy process, but we’ve spent months and months preparing for this launch to get it right,” said Andrew Obenshain, Bluebird’s head of Europe.

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