The risks of administering the drug are greater than the effects, Motol explains in the case of little Oliver

According to the hospital’s press release, the doctor told her parents that she would do her best to give Oliver the medicine, but she never confirmed that this would actually happen. “Inclusion in preparation for gene therapy does not automatically mean its administration, but preparation for administration and the final decision, it is always necessary to assess the overall health of the patient at a given time,” the hospital said.

According to doctors, treatment with Zolgensma has serious health risks and Oliver’s condition is so serious that it could endanger his life. “Abroad, for example, a similarly serious patient treated with Zolgensma recently died on the third day after the drug was given,” the hospital writes.

Even if she gave the medicine to Oliver, the boy’s condition would not improve significantly. “Unfortunately, the severity of Oliver’s health can no longer be improved by any medicine, not even Zolgensma,” wrote the Motol University Hospital. According to her, there is no theoretical possibility that after treatment with Zolgensma, Oliver would be able to sit, stand or walk on his own.

Moreover, according to Motol, it is not true that Oliver should die without medication. The boy is already being treated with another expensive substance, Spinraz, which, according to doctors, has a similar effect to Zolgensma.

However, according to the boy’s father Bohumil Kovalský, these claims are in conflict with the opinion of the health insurance company’s medical examiner. She was supposed to state that Zolgensma treatment was the only option for the boy.

There is no longer an age limit for drug administration

Parents have also stated in the past that the age for administration is two years – Oliver will reach this age in August. According to Motol, however, this situation has already changed. “By registering Zolgensma in the EU in May this year, the limits for the administration of the drug were extended. Currently, the age limit for administration is not strictly set, it depends on the regional rules of the country in the EU,” the hospital wrote.

In previous days, the hospital also argued that it could not give the medicine to a child addicted to a lung ventilator. At the same time, however, she noted that if the little boy’s condition improves, she is willing to reconsider her decision.

This claim outraged the boy’s parents. “It’s basically a trip to us. The whole time of communication was that lung ventilation was not a problem. That’s why the specific treatment program was solved, that’s why it was approved,” he said. news Kovalský.

Parents raised money for several months for the experimental drug Zolgensma, which costs over 50 million crowns. According to them, Motol also supported them in the collection. He did not deny it, but emphasized that the boy did not arrive for the first examination until after the end of the collection. The Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also intervened in the case, saying that the amount would be paid by the insurance company that actually approved the payment in this case.