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First gene therapy drug proves a flop in the market
When UniQure launched the first commercial gene therapy drug, Glybera, it promised a minor revolution in medicine. By using custom viruses to deliver genes, it could reportedly cure a rare disease (lipoprotein lipase deficiency) with just one round of treatment. However, it just didn't live up to the early hype. UniQure has announced that it's withdrawing Glybera from the European market when its approval ends on October 25th. The company doesn't beat around the bush with an explanation: the drug's use has been "extremely limited" since going on the market in 2012, and it doesn't expect an uptick in the years ahead. If you know how the drug was sold, though, this inglamorous exit was more of an inevitability than a surprise.
