Yeo CJJ, Simmons Z, De Vivo DC, Darras BT. Ethical Perspectives on Treatment Options with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Patients.
Ann Neurol 2022;
91:305-316. [PMID:
34981567 PMCID:
PMC9305104 DOI:
10.1002/ana.26299]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Since 2016, 3 innovative therapies for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have changed the face of the disease. Although these therapies often result in remarkable improvements in infants and children, benefits in adults are modest and treatment is not curative. Concerns have been raised about the enormous costs of these medications, the ultimate burden to taxpayers, and the costs to society of withholding treatments and sacrificing or disadvantaging some individuals. Physicians are best positioned to serve our patients by carefully considering the costs, benefits, implications for quality of life (QOL), and the interplay of these factors within the framework of core ethical principles that guide clinical care. ANN NEUROL 2022;91:305–316
Collapse