The Value of Gene Therapy. A study of the growth, cost and accessibility of gene therapy products

In this policy report COGEM explores how many gene therapies are in the development pipeline, the costs, and the dilemmas and choices involved. It also discusses the policy instruments the government has to keep gene therapies affordable and available.

COGEM signals that the growth in the number of gene therapies will place a large burden on the healthcare budget and that the current approach of price negotiations to reduce costs has limited effectiveness. Although the asking prices of some gene therapies include considerable room for manoeuvre, this is not true for all gene therapies. Moreover, the debate focuses on very expensive gene therapies for very small numbers of patients, while the greatest claim on the healthcare budget will be made by the less expensive and eye-catching gene therapies that are intended for larger numbers of patients, such as CAR-T cell therapies against various cancers.

COGEM signals that there is a risk that life-saving therapies may be developed that will be inaccessible to patients due to high prices. The differences between  gene therapies make it necessary to take a more differentiated approach by the government, to keep these therapies available to patients in the Netherlands. In doing so, the government faces painful choices and dilemmas to maintain affordable care.