Tough UK line on funding rare-disease drugs raises concern
Adding a funding cap for new therapies could make it harder for drugmakers to recoup development costs
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London
A TOUGHER stance in the UK on funding expensive medicines for rare diseases is raising questions about the government's pledges to support a life-sciences industry that's already rattled by Brexit.
A proposal to introduce a cap on coverage of treatments within the state-run health system would have a significant impact on access to ultra-rare disease drugs, said Heidi Wagner, senior vice-president of global government affairs at Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Last week, the US biotech company was denied support in England for Kanuma, a drug that's estimated to cost £492,000 (S$869,000) a year, because a key authority deemed it too expensive even after unspecified discounts.
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