Pfizer exec says with 10,000 gene therapies under development, if just 10% reach the market, gene therapy will become a conventional approach.

According to Angela Hwang, president of Pfizer’s biopharma business, there are approximately 10,000 gene therapies in development today. If just 10% of those drug candidates receive regulatory approval, doctors will be able to turn to gene therapy as a conventional tool in the fight against disease. Before that can happen, however, several issues must first be addressed.

In addition to manufacturing and scientific challenges, Hwang says the industry must find a way to make these drugs affordable and develop more practical payment solutions. She specifically points to the need for outcomes-based options, with subscription-based payments as one potential approach. Currently, payments are based on individual drug doses. Hwang believes the ability to offer more practical solutions will increase as gene therapy sciences advances and more data becomes available.