A LESS COSTLY REGIMEN OF ALGLUCERASE TO TREAT GAUCHER'S DISEASE

Alglucerase (Ceredase) provides effective enzyme-replacement treatment for patients with Gaucher9s disease, but at the usually recommended dose of 60 U per kilogram of body weight every two weeks (130 U per kilogram per month), it costs $382,200 per year for a 70-kg patient. Theoretical considerations suggest that more frequent administration would be more efficient... The treatment of Gaucher9s disease with smaller total doses of alglucerase given more frequently yields satisfactory results. A dose of 2.3 U per kilogram three times weekly yields major financial benefits with no sacrifice of therapeutic effect. Even taking into account the ancillary costs of more frequent administration, this method of administering alglucerase reduces the annual cost of the drug for a 70-kg patient to about $100,000. (N Engl J Med. 1992;327:1632-1636.)