Reporting on “the price of life”

This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Scott Pelley reports on cutting-edge drugs that can repair or replace defective genes and potentially save the lives of children with often fatal genetic diseases. But as Pelley reports on the broadcast, some of the drugs cost millions for a single dose, and some insurance plans refuse to pay for them.

Along with producer Aaron Weisz and associate producer Ian Flickinger, the 60 Minutes team spoke with dozens of families who have received gene therapies to help treat a variety of genetic disorders, including sickle cell disease and blindness. 

In the video above, Pelley takes viewers inside the reporting process and updates them on Maisie, a young girl who was not expected to live past two years old. Then, a gene therapy was developed to combat her rare disease.

The video above was edited by Scott Rosann.