Novartis Gene Therapy Could Be Cost-Effective Up to $1.5 Million

  • Zolgensma has potential to deliver large benefits, ICER says
  • Drugmaker has said price of $4 million plus may be justified

A logo sits on display on a building at the Novartis AG campus in Basel, Switzerland.

Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg
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Novartis AG’s new gene therapy targeting a disease that kills infants would be cost-effective at as much as $1.5 million, according to a U.S. nonprofit that assesses the value of drugs, well short of the potential price range the company has suggested.

Zolgensma, a one-time treatment for a severe genetic disorder called spinal muscular atrophy, would provide substantial benefits for patients, according to the analysis from the Boston-based Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. Novartis has said its therapy could be worth $4 million to $5 million.