The gene therapy Zolgensma has helped children born with a fatal disease, spinal muscular atrophy, grow up to run and play. But the cost is stunning: $2 million per dose. The drug’s price set the standard for other, even more expensive gene therapies — like one that goes for $4.25 million per dose. Taxpayers and charities subsidized much of the science that led to Zolgensma. Yet executives, venture-capital backers and a pharma giant reaped the profits. Meanwhile, the drug’s cost adds to the nation’s ballooning bill for prescription drugs and puts Zolgensma out of reach for kids in many low- and middle-income countries. Zolgensma’s story upends the widely held conception that high prices reflect huge industry investments in innovation. To read our full investigation, go to the link in bio. 📰: Robin Fields 🎨: owen_gent , special to ProPublica 🎥: josesepulvedatv #venturecapital #biotech #novartis #genetherapy