NEW YORK – Amwins Group Benefits on Wednesday announced that it has added two Bluebird Bio gene therapies to its gene therapy solutions program, a cost-containment program for employers covering such claims.
Charlotte, North Carolina-based Amwins, an independent wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products in the US including specialty group benefits and administrative services, now offers reimbursement to group health plans and coordinating stop-loss carriers for five treatments approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The two latest treatments to join the program are Bluebird Bio's Zynteglo (betibeglogene autotemcel) for transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, up to $2.8 million, and Bluebird Bio's Skysona (elivaldogene autotemcel) for cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, up to $3 million. The program launched this year with coverage for Spark Therapeutics' Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec) for Leber congenital amaurosis, up to $850,000; AveXis' Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec) for spinal muscular atrophy, up to $2.2 million; and Biogen and Ionis Pharmaceuticals' Spinraza (nusinersen) for spinal muscular atrophy, up to $2.2 million.
The gene therapy solutions program is available through Amwins' Stealth Partner Group, a firm that partners with brokers, consultants, and third-party administrators to negotiate and implement medical stop-loss and ancillary benefits.
"Gene therapy treatments are revolutionary and provide patients with improved quality of life; however, they come with a cost," Josh McGee, executive VP at Amwins Accident & Health Underwriters, who is responsible for proprietary program development for Stealth Partner Group, said in a statement. "Our benefits solutions are evolving as we continue to develop and support programs that protect employers as they seek to mitigate risk and face the ever-evolving and complex gene therapy landscape."