Glybera

2019: Biohackers created the copy most expensively in the world of genetic medicine

At the end of August, 2019 the international group of biohackers said that it prepares the copy of the most expensive medicine in the world on the basis of genetic engineering. Biohackers are perturbed with the huge cost of new drugs and intend to sell the copy for $7 thousand instead of $1 million.

The medicine Glybera which became the most expensive medicine in the world when appeared in the European market in 2015 became the purpose of biohackers. The group of independent biologists says that they developed a prototype of simpler and inexpensive version of Glybera. They intend to ask for the help scientists of the universities and large companies to test on animals. Materials of the company will be provided at the Biohack the Planet conference in Las Vegas.

The international group of biohackers said that it prepares the copy of the most expensive medicine in the world

Opinions of experts were shared — some consider that such medicine will hardly be effective, others note that the huge cost of genetic engineering therapy leaves no chance for many patients, and new means can change this situation. For example, Glibera was approved for treatment of people with extremely rare disease of blood, deficit of a lipoproteinlipaza. However medicine was economically unprofitable and was laid off in 2017. Only one insurer from Germany could pay for treatment by this medicine.

However copying and sale of medicine violate the rights of the producer Gliber, UniQure company, to intellectual property. The representative of UniQure noted that biohackers did not inform the company on attempt to recreate medicine, and the patent for medicine still belongs to UniQure. Possibly, the new version of medicine will face serious obstacles before is able to get on the market. But biohackers these problems worry little — they dauntlessly use the works protected by copyright and are not going to get profit from the production.^[1]

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