An advisory panel to the health minister on Wednesday approved Sumitomo Pharma’s Parkinson’s disease treatment Amchepry, which costs ¥55.3 million ($350,600) per patient, to be covered under the national healthcare program.
The approval marks the first commercialized medical product in the world derived from iPS cells, which are created by reprogramming adult cells such as blood or skin cells into a versatile state capable of developing into different tissue types.
Insurance coverage will begin May 20, with treatment expected to be available this fall, according to media reports.
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