Novartis will pay out-of-pocket costs for patients who use its new multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya -- up to $800 a month. And the drugmaker will foot the bill -- up to $600 -- for clinical testing and monitoring the FDA required as part of the product's approval, according to FiercePharma.
Swiss drugmaker Novartis just got Food and Drug Administration approval to sell the first pill that can slow the progression of multiple sclerosis. Gilenya will go head-to-head with injectable medicines, including Avonex, Tysabri and Rebif. But how much will the MS pill cost? Novartis won't say, NPR reports.
By reducing administrative burden and redesigning workflows around human needs, it creates space for what matters most: connection between clinicians and patients.