The ruckus over the CRISPR gene-editing system hides a dark reality: its high cost may make it unaffordable and questions remain whether most insurance companies will pay for it. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The cost isnt coming down, said Mark Trusheim, director of the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologysNEW Drug Development Paradigms, a think tank working on the problem of how we will pay for expensive new drugs. Companies will say, We are developing these medicines, just pay us; insurers will say, We cant afford it. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Editas Medicineplans to use CRISPR-Cas9 to treat various diseases, including Leber congenital amaurosisBut in itsannual report, Editas noted significant uncertainty on whether payers would cover the treatment. In fact, a handful of insurance companieshave issued policy documents that exclude gene therapy from coverage, a move that experts say establishes policy against paying for CRISPR-based therapeutics. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Companies will charge whatever the market will bear, [said Tania Bubela, a law and policy expert]. Im not even sure that many of these gene therapies will work, and not all medicine is worth the price. But if these technologies become broadly used, especially in altering T cells for cancer, payers wont meet the demands of steep prices, and Bubela predicts that the system implodes under its own weight. <\/p>\n
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog\/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:Who will pay for CRISPR? <\/p>\n
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CRISPR's high costs may limit development of gene therapy drugs - Genetic Literacy Project<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The ruckus over the CRISPR gene-editing system hides a dark reality: its high cost may make it unaffordable and questions remain whether most insurance companies will pay for it. Continue reading