"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating innovation, implementation and acceptance of molecular therapeutics (e.g. mRNA vaccines) globally. As a result, there is escalating interest in developing molecular interventions for many other conditions, such as gene therapies for genetic diseases. Strategically leveraging infrastructure that is being developed for molecular therapeutics will be critical in manufacturing, testing, and delivering gene therapies across diverse settings.
Three critical areas of consideration include:
- Repurposing manufacturing infrastructure developed during the pandemic to produce gene therapies. This approach will lower costs and accelerate implementation by maximizing use of existing facilities and workforce.
- Extending the current national policies governing molecular therapies, which were rapidly developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, to include gene therapies. Where gene therapy policies do not exist, governments should create accelerated pathways to efficiently evaluate and approve these advanced medicines.
- Educating patients, healthcare providers and funders on the value and impact of treating lifelong genetic diseases with gene therapies. This education should include upskilling healthcare providers to be familiar with gene therapy-specific processes, including safe product handling, treatment infusion and patient monitoring post procedure."
Source: Gene therapy can make a real impact on global health but we need equitable access, say experts
