The Guardian view on gene editing: breakthroughs need a new social contract
Cutting-edge therapies exist, but the market cannot deliver them cheaply. Britain must build NHS capacity so that cures become collective goods, not expensive products
TL;DR
- A small fraction of genes cause thousands of rare diseases, posing treatment challenges as mutations are often unknown or affect few individuals.
- High development costs (around $2bn) and low success rates discourage innovation in rare disease treatments, with commercial incentives favoring lucrative cancer drugs.
- Revolutionary gene therapies face payment issues, with a warning that effective treatments may not be affordable.
- Biotech funding has shifted away from gene editing towards AI, and pharmaceutical companies are relocating research to nations with scale and policy support.
- High per-patient costs of gene therapies necessitate a change in business models, with suggestions for state-backed manufacturing and treating rare-disease gene therapy as an NHS service.
- A universal, publicly funded health system is proposed as the model to make gene therapy medicine, not merchandise, ensuring equitable access.