NHS to offer ‘groundbreaking’ sickle cell gene therapy
January 31, 2025

(BBC) – A gene-editing therapy for sickle cell disease, with a price tag of £1.65m, is to be offered to patients on the NHS in England. About 50 people a year with the inherited blood disorder are likely to receive it, experts say. Prof Bola Owolabi, of NHS England, called it a “monumental step forward”, and said the one-off treatment Casgevy, also known as Exa-cel, “holds a very real prospect of a cure”. A confidential agreement has been made with manufacturer Vertex on how much the NHS will pay. (Read More)