EFN

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for the treatment of Gaucher Type I Disease. Shire HGT, Inc has been approved to release the drug at a time when the only other manufacturer of a treatment for this disease is having manufacturing problems.

Gaucher Type I disease is an enzyme problem that causes lipid buildup throughout a persons body. The disease can be deadly if not treated. While this is a very rare disorder, people of a specific Jewish descent seem to be the largest affected people to get the disease.

Treatment for Gaucher Type I is very expensive. On average, a person being treated with these injectable drugs will pay nearly 200k a year for treatment. Shire has stated that they will offer the drug at a discounted rate and offer incentives to patients who do not have full coverage insurance. This comes at a time when doctors are leery to change to a new medication for treatment, but patients need all the financial discounts they can get.

Two additional drug companies are trying to have their own version of a treatment available for the market within the year. The most common side effects of this new drug are allergic reactions, delayed blood clotting and headaches. A few other adverse reactions have been noted.