Russia registers first analogue of Spinraza

The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation registered Russia's first analogue of Spinraza — the drug called Lantesens with nusinersen being the active substance, the State Register of Medicines said.

Photo: wikimedia.org by Beat Ruest is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Lantesens will be cheaper than Spinraza, but the price of the drugs has not been announced yet, the Vedomosti newspaper said with reference to manufacturing company Generium.

Spinraza is one of the most expensive drugs in the world. It is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). One package of Spinraza costs more than five million rubles (over $53,000).

A person with spinal muscular atrophy gradually loses motor functions and may stop moving and even breathing. In Russia, three drugs were previously registered to treat the disease — Nusinersen (Spinraza), which was registered by a company from the Netherlands, Risdiplam and Zolgensma.