Swiss pharmaceutical company, Novartis, announced that it has received US regulatory approval for a gene therapy that treats a rare childhood disorder and has a price tag of $2.1 million, making it the most expensive drug in history. The company said Zolgensma was a one-time treatment for spinal muscular atrophy and will cost $2.125 million payable over five years.
More than 40 per cent of lawmakers in India’s new parliament face criminal charges — some as serious as murder and rape — and the list is growing, an electoral reform group said on Saturday. One member of parliament for the opposition Congress party is battling 204 cases including manslaughter and robbery, the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) said.
Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX has raised more than $1 billion in financing in the last 6 months as it aims to roll out an ambitious high-speed internet service via satellites. The company raised $486.2 million in December and $535.7m in April, and launched its first batch of 60 small satellites into low-Earth orbit for Musk’s new Starlink internet service.