Alipogene tiparvovec (marketed under the trade name Glybera) is a gene therapy treatment designed to reverse lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD), a rare inherited disorder which can cause severe pancreatitis. In July 2012, the European Medicines Agency recommended it for approval (the first recommendation for a gene therapy treatment in either Europe or the United States), and the recommendation was endorsed by the European Commission in November 2012.The drug is administered via a series of injections into the leg muscles—as many as 60, all in one session. It is a one-time treatment intended to last at least ten years.
Glybera gained infamy as the "million-dollar drug," causing its manufacturer, uniQure, to remove the drug after two years on the European market. As of 2018, only 31 people worldwide have ever been administered Glybera, and uniQure has no plans to sell the drug in the US or Canada.