Gene Therapies offer much needed hope and promise to transform the future Healthcare scenario. All the recent developments in this area clearly point towards Breakthrough research leading to the launch of several innovative gene therapy drugs. The clinical management of hereditary and genetic disorders has always been a challenge. Many rare diseases could not be treated effectively with a curative intent due to these challenges and limitations. The emergence of Gene Therapy Innovations is likely to revolutionize the clinical management of rare diseases, attributed to various genetic and metabolic disorders. The past decade has witnessed many such innovations that could further translate into viable treatment options, by means of gene modification, gene repair and gene replacement mechanisms.
Recent Gene Therapy Products launched by the global majors
Novartis Gene Therapies is one of the major companies to have captured the headlines in the arena of gene therapies. There are two prominent drugs promoted by Novartis that are very popular at this point in time. One is Luxturna and the other one is Zolgensma. Luxturna was originally developed by Spark Therapeutics which is now taken up by Novartis under a licensing agreement. Similarly, Zolgensma was developed by AveXis and secured the FDA approvals. AveXis is now Novartis Gene Therapies. Such intense participation by a Pharmaceutical major will certainly inspire confidence. This will even enhance support and motivation for the scientific research communities working in this challenging segment. Pfizer and Eli Lilly have also been in the news for their investments and tactical moves in the direction of introducing novel gene therapy solutions.
Other promising Cellular & Gene Therapy Drugs
Apart from Zolgensma and Luxturna, FDA also approved products like Provenge that gave a new lease of hope in the cancer care management. Provenge is developed by Dendreon Pharmaceuticals. Provenge is a cell therapy drug approved for the treatment of advanced Prostate Cancer. Kymriah by Novartis is another approved drug indicated for the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. These are among the twenty two products approved by FDA under Cellular & Gene Therapies category. Other prominently noted products include Imlygic, a medication used for the management of melanoma and Tecartus, which is also a genetically modified immunotherapy. Other products include Ryplazim, StrataGraft and Yescarta.
The recent past is a clear indication of what to anticipate from the near future. There are almost four hundred cell and gene therapy drugs in the pipeline. Almost fifty percent of the pipeline is focused on oncology or cancer care. There is no doubt that the future of Oncology, Neurology and Orphan Diseases management will be dominated by the most vibrant gene therapy innovations. The medical fraternity is also getting prepared with suitable infrastructure and facilities to compliment the research developments. Genomic platforms will change the way Healthcare is approached in the future and the future is now!
