September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month, and this year we are still celebrating the 2023 bombshell announcement from the FDA regarding approval for a treatment that appears to be the answer to sickle cell disease—you know, that devastating illness that’s been hitting our Black brothers and sisters hard for generations.
This new treatment, called Casgevy, is from Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics. And get this – it’s the first medicine in the U.S. using that Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR gene-editing tech. We’re talking sci-fi level stuff, but it’s real, and it’s here.
Dr. Alexis Thompson from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is calling this a “pivotal moment,” and she ain’t lying. We’ve gone from discovering CRISPR to having an approved product faster than you can say “revolutionary.”
And the FDA didn’t stop there! They also gave the green light to another treatment called Lyfgenia from Bluebird Bio. Both of these bad boys work by tweaking a patient’s own stem cells. No more hunting for bone marrow donors or worrying about rejection.
This life-changing treatment does however come with a staggering price tag of $2.2 million per patient. It’s got folks worried about who can actually access this life-changing treatment. But Dr. Rabi Hanna from the Cleveland Clinic is hopeful, saying this could be an “equalizer” for our people who’ve been held back by sickle cell.
So how does this magic work? It’s like giving your DNA a makeover. They take your stem cells, edit out the sickle cell gene, and put them back in. Boom! No more sickle-shaped cells messing up your flow.
It’s not a quick fix. You’re looking at months of treatment, including some tough stuff like chemo. But for folks like 29-year-old LaRae Morning from Phoenix, who wasn’t expected to see 11 and is now in law school, it’s worth it. She’s out here living her best life, doing 5Ks and lifting weights like it’s nothing.
Of course, there are still some questions about long-term effects. The FDA’s keeping a close eye, especially after some issues with the other treatment, Lyfgenia. But for people like Christopher Vega, 31, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, who’s gone from constant pain to pursuing his dreams in film school, the benefits outweigh the risks.
This is huge, fam. We’re talking about turning sickle cell from a life sentence to something we can actually beat. It’s been a long time coming, and while there’s still work to do to make sure everyone can access this treatment, it’s definitely a major step forward.
So let’s celebrate this win—and keep pushing for more. We need this treatment to reach every single person who needs it, regardless of their bank account. This could be the key to unlocking a future where sickle cell is just a chapter in our history books, not a daily struggle for our community.
Stay woke, stay hopeful, and let’s keep fighting for the health and future of our people. This is just the beginning, and we’re here for it!
