Chief Executive Officer, President & Director, Vertex
Search every verified Reshma Fasn interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Reshma Kewalramani, CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, commented on the FDA’s approval of Casgevy, a gene-editing treatment for sickle cell disease based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology. She described the approval as a historic day for patients and said the medicine holds the promise of being a one-time curative treatment. Kewalramani stated that patients have described the pain of sickle cell disease as worse than childbirth and that they would characterize the treatment as a cure. She noted that the treatment has a wholesale price of $2.2 million and said Vertex believes the price reflects the value of a one-time therapy that could provide a lifetime of cure. Kewalramani said Vertex has engaged with patients, physicians, and payers, including both private and government entities, and reported unanimous enthusiasm for the treatment. She added that sickle cell disease has been marginalized and that there has been a lack of innovation in the field for many years. She explained that the process involves taking a patient’s own stem cells, editing them in a lab, and returning them to the patient to offer the opportunity to live a life free from pain crises.
“It's a historic day for patients living with sickle cell disease — this is a gene‑editing medicine based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and it holds the promise to be a one‑time curative treatment.”
“We believe the price of the medicine should reflect the value that it brings — this is a one‑time therapy for a potentially lifetime of cure.”
“It carries a $2.2 million wholesale price tag.”
“If you ask our patients, I think they would describe it to you as a cure.”
“We have talked to patients, physicians, payers — both private and on the government side — and there is unanimous enthusiasm for this from patients with sickle cell disease.”
“Sickle cell disease has been marginalized and there has not been innovation in this field for many, many years.”
“What this medicine does is it takes a patient's own stem cells, we take it to our labs and edit it in a very precise way, and then we return the patient's own cells to them — with that, we give them the opportunity to live a life.”
Reshma Kewalramani, CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and CNBC’s Angelica Peebles join 'Power Lunch' to discuss the latest FDA gene-editing treatment approval, drug pricing, and more.
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