Today, the Institute for Gene Therapies (IGT) sent a letter to Congress applauding Representatives Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), John Joyce (R-PA) and Scott Peters (D-CA) for their sponsorship of the Medicaid VBPs for Patients Act, or the MVP Act (H.R. 2666). IGT Chairman Congressman Erik Paulsen issued the following statement regarding the MVP Act:
“We welcome the reintroduction of the MVP Act and encourage broader Congressional support toward its passage. This legislation brings us closer to realizing the promise of gene therapy for patients and families managing genetic, lifelong health conditions. Policies like the MVP Act are imperative to supporting the goal of keeping pace between the innovative science of gene therapy and the mechanisms to pay for them that ultimately grant access to these transformative, often life-saving treatments.
“We thank Representatives Guthrie, Eshoo, Miller-Meeks, Auchincloss, Joyce and Peters for their leadership, and we are hopeful that many others will join them in support of this pivotal, bipartisan legislation. This bill builds on the work of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in establishing clear value-based payment arrangements for manufacturers, payers, and providers. This work is particularly significant for gene therapies because of the innovative science used to develop these one-time, long-lasting, and potentially life-saving treatments, the variety of severe disease populations they address and the value they provide relative to the life-long healthcare journey these patients and their families face.
“IGT and our members stand ready to work with Congress to advance this legislation for the sake of patients and the future of gene therapy.”
Read the full letter here.