$3.5 million is the price for the world's most expensive drug

Australian pharmaceutical company CSL on November 23 set the list price of its drug to treat hereditary hemophilia B at $3.5 million per dose, Reuters reported.

After being licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 22, Hemgenix will be offered by CSL in the US market. (Photo: Reuters).

After being licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 22, Hemgenix has a listed price of 3.5 million USD per dose. This is the most expensive drug in the world at the present time.

"We are confident that this price will help save the health system money and reduce the economic burden on patients with hereditary haemophilia B," Australian pharmaceutical company CSL said in a statement.

According to Reuters, although the selling price for the drug set by CSL is 3.5 million USD, depending on each case, the patient may not have to pay the entire amount .

Cowen investment bank analyst Joseph Thome said CSL's asking price was higher than the bank's estimate of $1.9 million, but Cowen's advisers were optimistic about the potential positive impact the drug could have.

CSL Behring, a division of pharmaceutical company CSL, will begin the process of marketing the drug Hemgenix in the US.

Hemgenix is ​​the first gene therapy drug for the genetic blood clotting disorder hemophilia B. With a one-time administration, the drug offers a long-term solution for patients, instead of requiring regular injections like other treatments developed by pharmaceutical companies such as Biogen and Pfizer.

One in every 40,000 people has hereditary hemophilia B, caused by a gene mutation that affects the body's ability to produce factor IX, which is linked to the X sex chromosome.

With a price tag of $3.5 million, the drug Hemgenix developed by pharmaceutical company CSL is the most expensive drug in the world. (Photo: CSL Behring).

The Hemgenix gene therapy, developed by pharmaceutical company CSL, consists of a specially designed virus that carries a gene to the liver that helps the body produce factor IX.

Before Hemgenix, in August and September, the FDA also approved two gene therapy drugs, Zynteglo and Skysona, developed by biotechnology company Bluebird. While Zynteglo has a retail price of $2.8 million, Skysona has a wholesale price of $3 million.