This week, the Institute for Gene Therapies (IGT) sent a response to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) Request for Information (RFI) on Improving Americans’ Access to Gene Therapies.
IGT Chairman Congressman Erik Paulsen said of the RFI, “We’re encouraged to see Senator Cassidy’s interest in ensuring access to gene therapies and his leadership to gather information from relevant stakeholders as Congress works to modernize our policies for these innovative, lifechanging new treatments. The transformative value that gene therapies are already bringing to patients, families, providers, and our healthcare ecosystem is incredibly exciting, and policymakers should help clear a pathway for patients who stand to benefit.”
IGT’s response encourages “Congress to lean in on the benefits of innovative financing models, including value-based payment arrangements (VBAs)” and advance solutions to address the “barriers around VBAs in the Medicaid program… that can also indirectly hinder progress in the commercial markets.”
Specifically, IGT expressed support for legislative solutions, including:
additional Antikickback statute (AKS) reforms,
“to ensure patients receive the support they need to access these therapies.”
Read the full response to the RFI here and learn more about the unique value of gene therapies here.