[dekhn]

We don't have a lot of experience with taking cells out of the human body, processing them, and then putting them back in. A significant amount of the cost, above and beyond the R&D required to develop the treatment and the cost of actually performing the cure, comes from extreme quality control measures that reduce the chances of infection and other problems. Also, you have to basically run a full, certified lab and house it with people qualified to perform the cure.

Everything about this is bespoke (each treatment is based on the individual cells of a patient) and artisanal (the process requires a highly skilled individual to complete), and run by a guild (only so many people are allowed to run gene therapy trials).

On the other hand, since this is a cure, and probably reduces long-term medical care costs, it could very well actually be "cheaper" in the long run, which incentivizes the government to treat as many people as possible.