Zolgensma, the first drug in the U.S. to cross the $1 million mark, is an important test for the field as a wave of gene therapies advance.

As costs to develop new drugs climb, pharma companies are teaming up with AI specialists, hiring data scientists and snapping up tech startups.

Novartis has voluntarily pulled back on increasing prices in the U.S. to keep the cost of its medicines “reasonable” and “defensible” and to reflect their value for patients.