Vertex Announces CASGEVY Reimbursement Agreement for the Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease and Transfusion-Dependent Beta Thalassemia in Germany

Published: 2026-05-07 10:23:14 ET VRTX

Published on 05/07/2026 at 10:23 am EDT

BOSTON - Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) announced that a reimbursement agreement was signed with the GKV-Spitzenverband for its CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited therapy, CASGEVY (exagamglogene autotemcel).

This agreement secures sustainable access to this innovative one-time treatment for eligible patients in Germany ages 12 years and older living with severe sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia.

'For the first time in Germany, a long-term, sustainable access agreement to a gene therapy has been established for people living with sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia,' said Ludovic Fenaux, Senior Vice President, Vertex International. 'This agreement represents significant progress for people living with these two devastating and life-shortening diseases. We are pleased to collaborate across the health care system to ensure the value of CASGEVY is recognized and sustainable patient access is secured.'

With this agreement, Germany joins a growing number of countries that have reimbursed CASGEVY, including Austria, Denmark, Italy, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. Vertex remains committed to working with government and reimbursement authorities globally to ensure sustainable access for eligible patients.

About Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

SCD is a debilitating, progressive, life-shortening genetic disease. SCD patients report health-related quality of life scores well below the general population and significant health care resource utilization. SCD affects the red blood cells, which are essential for carrying oxygen to all organs and tissues of the body. SCD causes severe pain, organ damage and shortened life span due to misshapen or 'sickled' red blood cells. The clinical hallmark of SCD is vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), which are caused by blockages of blood vessels by sickled red blood cells and result in severe and debilitating pain that can happen anywhere in the body at any time. SCD requires lifelong treatment and significant use of health care resources, and ultimately results in reduced life expectancy, decreased quality of life and reduced lifetime earnings and productivity. In Europe, the mean age of death for patients living with SCD is around 40 years.

About Transfusion-Dependent Beta Thalassemia (TDT)

TDT is a serious, life-threatening genetic disease. TDT patients report health-related quality of life scores below the general population and significant health care resource utilization. TDT requires frequent blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy throughout a person's life. Due to anemia, patients living with TDT may experience fatigue and shortness of breath, and infants may develop failure to thrive, jaundice and feeding problems. Complications of TDT can also include an enlarged spleen, liver and/or heart, misshapen bones and delayed puberty. TDT requires lifelong treatment and significant use of health care resources, and ultimately results in reduced life expectancy, decreased quality of life and reduced lifetime earnings and productivity. In Europe, the mean age of death for patients living with TDT is 50-55 years.

About CASGEVY (exagamglogene autotemcel)

CASGEVY is a non-viral, ex vivo CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited cell therapy for eligible patients with SCD or TDT, in which a patient's own hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are edited at the erythroid specific enhancer region of the BCL11A gene through a precise double-strand break. This edit results in the production of high levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF; hemoglobin F) in red blood cells. HbF is the form of the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin that is naturally present during fetal development, which then switches to the adult form of hemoglobin after birth. CASGEVY has been shown to reduce or eliminate VOCs for patients with SCD and transfusion requirements for patients with TDT.

CASGEVY is approved for eligible SCD and TDT patients 12 years and older by multiple regulatory bodies around the world. In the European Union, CASGEVY is approved for patients 12 years of age and older with either severe SCD with recurrent VOCs or TDT, for whom hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is appropriate and a human leukocyte antigen matched related HSC donor is not available.

About Vertex

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases and conditions. The company has approved therapies for cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia and acute pain, and it continues to advance clinical and research programs in these areas. Vertex also has a robust clinical pipeline of investigational therapies across a range of modalities in other serious diseases where it has deep insight into causal human biology, including IgA nephropathy, neuropathic pain, APOL1-mediated kidney disease, primary membranous nephropathy, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, type 1 diabetes, generalized myasthenia gravis, and myotonic dystrophy type 1.

Vertex was founded in 1989 and has its global headquarters in Boston, with international headquarters in London. Additionally, the company has research and development sites and commercial offices in North America, Europe, Australia, Latin America and the Middle East. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry's top places to work, including 16 consecutive years on Science magazine's Top Employers list and one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, without limitation, the statements by Ludovic Fenaux, in this press release, and statements regarding Vertex's expectations for the benefits of CASGEVY, expectations for access to CASGEVY for eligible patients in Germany, and Vertex's plans to continue working with government and reimbursement authorities globally to ensure sustainable access for eligible patients. While we believe the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are accurate, these forward-looking statements represent the company's beliefs only as of the date of this press release and there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that data from the company's development programs may not support registration or further development of its compounds due to safety, efficacy, and other reasons, anticipated patient populations may be different than expected, and other risks listed under the heading 'Risk Factors' in Vertex's most recent annual report and subsequent quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and available through the company's website at www.vrtx.com. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Vertex disclaims any obligation to update the information contained in this press release as new information becomes available.

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