[The rise of genetic therapies: urgent moral and societal questions].

Abstract

Genetic therapies offer long-awaited hope for patients with rare genetic diseases and are emerging as cancer treatment as well. While these innovations appear promising, they are also extremely expensive and raise concerns about how they fit into an already overburdened healthcare system. What are the societal implications when these treatments become available? And how can we guide their adoption in the Dutch healthcare system in an ethically responsible manner? We describe the emerging landscape of genetic therapies, and specifically examine the ethical concerns surrounding their implementation within the Dutch healthcare system. From this reflection, we seek to offer direction on how to approach these new biomedical developments in a way that preserves the fundamental values of solidarity and justice. This is particularly important, given how rapidly developments in this field are progressing.