The Biden administration is working on making treatments for sickle cell more accessible for Americans most impacted by the disease.
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized breakthrough gene therapies to tackle the disease that disproportionately affects people of color, more specifically Black Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sickle cell happens in 1 in 365 Black births, and about 100,000 people are living with it.
Although the announcement sparked positive reactions, advocates raised questions about the affordability of the treatment, which costs a fortune. According to the American Society of Hematology, living with sickle cell is expensive, and even those with private insurance have to invest nearly an estimated $2 million on treatments throughout their life. Overall, it costs a whopping $3 billion a year to treat the disease.
“I’m excited about the therapies. However, we are still concerned about cost and accessibility. Who has access and how will the cost be covered for a drug that’s over a million dollars,” Andrea Hall of Shak’s Hope previously told Atlanta Black Star.
The pharmaceutical and biotech companies associated with the treatment reportedly said they are looking into contracts for individuals with Medicaid — the government program that covers prescription and therapeutic medical expenses for patients enrolled. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra outlined the “game-changing” strategy to address the accessibility issue on a Jan. 31 call with reporters.
“HHS is using every tool available to us to increase access to high-quality, affordable health care and lower health care costs,” Becerra said in a statement. “Many of the more than 100,000 Americans with sickle cell disease face difficulty accessing effective health care and groundbreaking treatments. While medical advancements bring us closer to cures, too many…
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