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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a gene therapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (blood cancer):
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the second in a radically new class of treatments that genetically reboot a patient's own immune cells to kill cancer.
The new therapy, Yescarta, made by Kite Pharma, was approved for adults with aggressive forms of a blood cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, who have undergone two regimens of chemotherapy that failed.
The treatment, considered a form of gene therapy, transforms the patient's cells into what researchers call a "living drug" that attacks cancer cells. It is part of the rapidly growing field of immunotherapy, which uses drugs or genetic tinkering to turbocharge the immune system to fight disease. In some cases the treatments have led to long remissions.
"The results are pretty remarkable," said Dr. Frederick L. Locke, a specialist in blood cancers at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, and a leader of a study of the new treatment. "We're excited. We think there are many patients who may need this therapy."
He added, "These patients don't have other options."
About 3,500 people a year in the United States may be candidates for Yescarta. It is meant to be given once, infused into a vein, and must be manufactured individually for each patient. The cost will be $373,000.
Also at The Associated Press, CNN, and STAT News.
Previously: FDA Approves a Gene Therapy for the First Time
FDA Committee Endorses Gene Therapy for a Form of Childhood Blindness
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday October 21 2017, @02:00AM (5 children)
Indeed. I'm just not sure that's a good way to do things at all. You're essentially laying a monthly bet down that you will get expensively sick. Most people won't, therefore it does not make financial sense for anyone without a history of expensive diseases or disorders in their family to support the current system. It doesn't even do the most good for the most people like our more socialist-leaning types would prefer. It penalizes most people for the sake of a small minority.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday October 21 2017, @02:29AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @04:03AM (2 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @04:59AM
even being warehoused in a nursing home (whether you are relatively healthy or not) is not cheap. you effectively get drained of your financial assets before Medicaid takes over paying for it.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday October 21 2017, @10:32AM
See, there's where we fundamentally differ. I do not want to live past an age where I can take care of myself and under no circumstances do I want to be a huge financial burden to my family. I can't even mentally put myself in the position of anyone who does think like that even for the sake of understanding their argument.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by fritsd on Saturday October 21 2017, @09:51AM
That is an interesting way to put it, but essentially I can see nothing wrong with what you say. Maybe it's just a difference in viewpoint.
So why does the USA have a large army, again? That also costs every taxpayer money, for unclear benefits:
FTFY.
That's *an* argument for pacifism; I didn't claim that it was a *good* argument :-)