The decision gave the green light to the Novartis drug Kymriah for children and young adults whose leukemia doesn't respond to traditional approaches. He said companies are pursuing hundreds of experimental treatments involving gene therapy products. Unlike some experimental gene approaches, the Novartis treatment, called CAR T-cell therapy, doesn't replace disease-causing genes with healthy ones. Often, those complications can be successfully treated with a drug called tocilizumab. Read more:Gilead's $11.9 billion purchase of groundbreaking cancer therapy could drag it into a new debate on pricesNovel cancer treatment wins endorsement of FDA advisersFirst gene therapy — “a true living drug' — on the cusp of FDA approval

Source: Washington Post August 30, 2017 16:17 UTC