The Hellenic National Bioethics Commission published a new Opinion on the ethical issues arising from the development of the so-called "precision medicine" and its expected clinical and research applications. Greece has recently approved the launch of precision medicine networks with the participation of the most important research units in the field of Biomedicine/Biomedical Sciences and the financial support by the state.
The Commission highlights the ethical issues regarding the processing of large collections of sensitive data/big data (genetic, medical, lifestyle) and biological samples. As regards the latter, the Commission considers that it is more appropriate to adopt specific legislation. Finally, taking into account the costs involved in developing the business of precision medicine, the Commission points out that the investment of resources from the Health sector must be justified on the basis of objective criteria (eg, priority investment for large individuals in the general population). - including rare diseases - with the prospect of gradually covering all diseases).