The'World's Most Expensive Drug' with a single dose of 2.8 billion won has been approved by the National Health Service (NHS) of the UK.
According to CNBC broadcast on the 8th local time, NHS said in a statement that day it has signed a contract to approve'Zolgensma', a treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Novartis Gene Therapy.
Zolgensma is known as the world's most expensive medicine with a single dose of 1.79 million pounds and about 2.82 billion won in our money.
As a drug used to treat SMA, a rare genetic disease in infants and young children, SMA is a rare disease in which muscles are weakened or lost due to a gene defect.
In particular, children born with type 1 SMA have an average life expectancy of only two years, making it a fatal disease.
Studies have shown that solgensma is effective in allowing children with SMA disease to breathe without an oxygen respirator, allowing them to sit or walk on their own with a single dose.
In recent studies, solgensma has also been shown to rapidly and continuously improve body movements and extend lifespan in children with type 1 SMA.
With this contract, NHS, which provides free national medical service, can also use this drug.
The NHS explained that as many as 80 children per year will benefit from this treatment.
In an announcement that day, NHS said, "With this breakthrough contract, we will provide drugs at a reasonable price to taxpayers," without revealing the contract price.
(Photo = AP, Yonhap News)