About Reshma Fasn
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.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Reshma Fasn's recent appearances.
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Transcript (8 segments)
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Reshma Fasn0:10
Treat sickle cell anemia. What makes it historic is it's the first drug using a gene editing therapy called CRISPR. Investors are looking at the stocks depending on the stocks, but as a silver news event for the company involved, it's Vertex, down about 1%. CRISPR, seeing a decline of almost 9% today. Drops elsewhere.
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Interviewer0:28
Joining us now is Doctor Reshma Kewalramani. She is the CEO of Vertex, along with our own farm reporter Jennifer Peoples, to tie more into this blockbuster news and, delicate us of here.
It's great to see you, today, Reshma. We've been talking about this for a long time. I want to start with the price. I think a lot of people will wonder but might this drug is two point 2 million dollars per person. Explain how we got here and what the feedback has been fro
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Reshma Fasn1:10
It's a gene editing medicine that holds the promise to be a one-time curative treatment for sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is a devastating disease. People who have it describe it as a Mack truck hitting them, and the truck going up and down and up and down again. It's the kind of pain people describe as worse than childbirth. And this is a medicine that holds the potential to do away with all of those devastating crises. We believe the price of the medicine should reflect the value that it brings, and the value that this brings is a one-time therapy for potentially a lifetime of cure.
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Interviewer1:49
We've seen some other companies that have offered sort of a money back guarantee. Are you offering any specific arrangements with payers? And what has the feedback been so far?
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Reshma Fasn2:10
There is unanimous enthusiasm for this from patients with sickle cell disease, because it's widely recognized that sickle cell disease, unfortunately, has been marginalized and there has not been innovation in this field for many, many years. And equally, the potential of Casgevy has been recognized. So, the feedback has been unanimous and positive.
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Interviewer2:36
And doctor, if you could sort of talk a little bit about this. It's a one-time treatment, as we understand. It carries a 2.2 million dollar wholesale price tag. But do we call it a cure after people receive this treatment? Are they cured, effectively?
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Reshma Fasn2:51
You know, as a physician, I don't use the word cure very lightly at all. And then we return the patient's own cells to them, and with that return of their own cells with this edit, we give them this opportunity to live a life
