ICER Finds Beti-Cel Superior to Standard-of-Care for β-Thalassemia

Article

Beti-cel was rated a B+ for lingering questions about durability and unknown risks.

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has concluded that bluebird bio’s lentiviral gene therapy betibeglogeneautotemcel is superior to standard of care for patients with β-thalassemia, however, the magnitude of this superiority is still uncertain.1

“Beta-thalassemia is a serious blood disorder, and while treatment has improved, patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) still have decreased life expectancy and large burdens of care that impact all aspects of their lives,” David Rind, MD, chief medical officer, ICER, said in a statement.2 “Previously, a minority of patients had access to curative allogeneic bone marrow transplant; beti-cel provides an additional potentially curative option for many patients with TDT.”

ICER analyzed efficacy and safety data from 5 studies of beti-cel: 2 phase I/2 trials (HGB-204 and HGB-205), 2 phase 3 trials (NorthStar 2 and NorthStar 3), and 1 long-term follow-up (LTFU) cohort study (LTF-303), with a greater emphasis on the phase 3 trials compared to earlier trials due to manufacturing changes in between.1

Overall, 89% of patients (n = 56) treated with bet-cel achieved transfusion independence in the phase 3 trials. The LTFU revealed that transfusion independence was sustained for a median of 42 months (range, 23-87). Few serious adverse events occurred, but uncertainty remains due to known risks with myeloablative conditioning and unknown risks and durability. With these factors in mind, the ICER gace the gene therapy a rating of B+.

WATCH NOW: Real-World Experience With Beti-cel for Patients With TDT Is Consistent With Trials

ICER also found that many stakeholders, including patients with TDT and their families, were likely to remain on standard of care treatments including transfusion and chelation even if beti-cel proves to be a durable cure with an excellent safety profile.

ICER also assessed cost-effectiveness of beti-cel treatment and determined that it meets commonly accepted value thresholds given the high annual costs of standard care.The anticipated price is $2.1 million with an 80% payback option for patients who do not achieve and maintain transfusion independence over a 5-year period.

“The manufacturer publicly suggested pricing based on the value of beti-cel to patients rather than based on offsetting other costs, and so we are highlighting 2 different pricing analyses, one in which half the cost-offsets provided by elimination of the need for expensive ongoing therapy are ’shared‘ with society and not included in calculating a fair price,” Rind added.2

ICER determined that discounts between 15% and 38% off the anticipated price are required to meet commonly accepted thresholds if half of the lifetime cost savings from the therapy are returned to society.1

REFERENCES
1. Beaudoin FL, Richardson M, Synnott PG, et al. Betibeglogeneautotemcel for beta thalassemia: Effectiveness and value; evidence report. ICER, June 2, 2022. https://icer.org/beta-thalassemia-2022/#timeline
2. ICER Publishes Evidence Report on Gene Therapy for Beta Thalassemia. News release. Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. June 2, 2022. https://firstwordpharma.com/story/5586139

Newsletter

Stay at the forefront of cutting-edge science with CGT—your direct line to expert insights, breakthrough data, and real-time coverage of the latest advancements in cell and gene therapy.

Recent Videos
Prerna Mewawalla, MD, medical director of Apheresis and a hematologist-oncologist in the Division of Hematology and Cellular Therapy at Allegheny Health Network, as well as an associate professor at the Drexel University College of Medicine.
Surbhi Sidana, MD, an assistant professor of medicine, bone marrow transplantation, and cellular therapy at Stanford
Alexey Danilov, MD, PhD, the Marianne and Gerhard Pinkus Professor of Early Clinical Therapeutics, medical director of the Early Phase Therapeutics Program for the Systems Clinical Trials Office, codirector of the Toni Stephenson Lymphoma Center, and a professor in the Division of Lymphoma in the Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope in Duarte, California
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.