Zolgensma: The world's most expensive drug will be offered by the Brazilian public health system (SUS).
Patients will begin to be called in next week for preparatory exams.
247 - The Ministry of Health announced on Saturday (22) that the drug Zolgensma will be incorporated into the Unified Health System (SUS) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1. The drug, considered one of the most expensive gene therapies in the world, costs, on average, R$ 7 million per dose, but will be acquired for a reduced price after negotiation with the pharmaceutical company Novartis.
Patients will begin to be called in next week for preparatory exams at the 28 referral centers for SMA treatment within the SUS (Brazilian Public Health System).
“With this agreement signed, the Ministry of Health is also publishing today a clinical protocol of guidelines so that doctors know how to use this medication,” said the head of the ministry, Alexandre Padilha, in a video released on social media on Saturday. “It is the first gene therapy being introduced into the Unified Health System (SUS). The SUS becomes part of a small club of five national public systems in the world to offer this medication to its population.”
The purchase of Zolgensma will follow a performance-based model, meaning that payment by the government will depend on the results obtained in the treatment, monitored by a specialized team.
