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Andalusia to Fund Vyjuvek for Epidermolysis Bullosa Patients After 12-Year-Old’s EU Plea

The region says the gene therapy should be available within weeks following Leo’s appeal for access in Spain.

Overview

  • Regional president Juanma Moreno said the Andalusian Health Service will cover the cost of Vyjuvek for people with epidermolysis bullosa.
  • Although Spain’s medicines agency has approved Vyjuvek, it is not in the national health system’s benefits package, making Andalusia the first region to assume payment.
  • Moreno said availability is expected in the coming weeks and urged other regions to join to reduce costs, citing an estimated price of about €100,000 per month and roughly €20 million over a lifetime.
  • Leo, the 12-year-old from Seville whose testimony to Members of the European Parliament went viral, met with Moreno and welcomed the pledge as life‑changing.
  • Patient group Debra has pressed for months for access to Vyjuvek, already in use in France, Italy and Germany, and estimates millions of minutes of wound care could be avoided in Spain.