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With $2.8M gene therapy, Bluebird sets new bar for US drug pricing

August 18, 2022

Bluebird bio’s new gene therapy, approved in the U.S. Wednesday, offers patients with an inherited blood disorder a one-time, potentially curative, treatment option.

But it will come at a price of $2.8 million, making the therapy the most expensive drug on a single-use basis in the U.S. and among the highest globally.

Bluebird defends its therapy’s worth, citing the clear benefit in clinical testing and the high lifetime costs of treatment for people with severe forms of the disease, called beta thalassemia, for which its drug is approved. At least one independent assessment of the drug, sold as Zynteglo, supports Bluebird’s case.

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