DB-OTO replaces cochlear implants in children with genetic deafness at an exorbitant price By Bioethics Observatory Published On: December 15th, 2025

https://bioethicsobservatory.org/2025/12/db-oto-replaces-cochlear-implants-in-children-with-genetic-deafness-at-an-exorbitant-price/48272/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_source_platform=mailpoet Gene therapy is a biotechnological achievement that represents one form of genetic modification in humans for health applications, a field that received a massive boost after the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. This technology addresses the root cause of genetic diseases by seeking to repair or replace defective genes, offering a personalized and potentially curative approach that is of considerable medical interest. One example of its application is the development of DB-OTO gene therapy in the CHORD clinical trial (NCT05788536). The aim of this registrational study was to treat congenital hearing loss in children caused by a mutation in the OTOF gene, promising natural hearing instead of the partial correction offered by cochlear implants. Although the trial has shown excellent preliminary results in pediatric participants, gene therapy as a whole faces significant challenges, such as its exorbitant cost, the complexity of the therapeutic products, and safety issues, requiring prior evaluation of its efficiency and safety by expert and bioethics committees before approval.