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Lawsuit Filed Over Gene Patent
A group of cancer patients, genetic researchers and professional pathologist organizations has filed a lawsuit against Myriad Genetics and the U.S. Patent Office over the patent of two genes associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, the government more than 10 years ago granted Myriad the patent on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, as well as the company"s genetic test that measures a patient"s risk for the cancers.The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and is believed to be the first of its kind, the Times reports. The lawsuit challenges the decision to grant patents on genes to Myriad and companies like it. The plaintiffs say that patents on genes restrict medical and research efforts, while companies like Myriad have said that the patent system supports innovation by giving them a temporary monopoly after they make a discovery, thereby rewarding prior investment in research and development.Wendy Chung, the director of clinical genetics at Columbia University and a plaintiff in the case, said, "With a sole provider, there"s mediocrity." The plaintiffs say that BRCA testing would improve with market competition. Furthermore, some plaintiffs argue that certain natural materials cannot be patented. Jan Nowak, president of the Association for Molecular Pathology and a plaintiff in the case, said, "You can"t patent my DNA, any more than you can patent my right arm, or patent my blood."To date, two government panels, including the National Research Council, found no evidence that gene patents result in significant impediments to research or medical care (Schwartz, New York Times, 5/13).

Genomes Of Parasitic Flatworms Decoded
Two international research teams have determined the complete genetic sequences of two species of parasitic flatworms that cause schistosomiasis, a debilitating condition also known as snail fever. Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum are the first sequenced genomes of any organism in the large group called Lophotrochozoa, which includes other free-living and parasitic flatworms as well as segmented roundworms, such as the earthworm.
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Study Pinpoints Links Of Depression With Chronic Pain
It is well known that chronic pain and clinical depression go together, but a study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, shows that the connection between pain and depression is strongest in middle-age women and African Americans.
Nutrition

A Selection Of Editorials And Opinions

You Be Obama New York Times Every player in this game has a favorite idea, and you are open to all of them. The liberals want a public plan, and you"re for it. The budget guys are for slashing Medicare reimbursements, and you"re for that. The doctors want relief from lawsuits, and you"re open to it. The Republicans want you to cap the tax exemption on employee health benefits. You campaigned against that, but you"re still privately for it (David Brooks, 6/15). Healthy Savings The Baltimore Sun One way to improve outcomes while reducing costs is to establish a Medicare follow-up care benefit. This benefit would support patients as they transition from the hospital to their own home or another setting, such as a skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation center (Tiffany M. Lundquist, 6/16). Hope and Experience The Chicago Tribune Costs clearly need to be controlled. But the Democrats" solution to all this government excess is to create . . . another government-run health plan (6/16). The Trouble With Conrad"s Compromise CBS News They have been hard to establish or extend, and when they have been established, they"ve been under constant siege from doctors and insurers and eventually largely operated as private insurance plans or weak purchasing arrangements. It is hard to see how any sort of decentralized cooperative model could do what a public plan can do (Jacob S. Hacker, 6/15). For Republicans, A Health Care Opportunity The National Review Imagine that a Republican president had tried to cut Medicare and Medicaid spending by $625 billion over a decade. We doubt the story would have been relegated to the back pages of the major newspapers, as President Obama"s proposal was yesterday (6/16). Public Option Salt Lake Tribune A public plan that would not have to turn a profit or pay taxes should be able to offer insurance that is more affordable than private plans. But neither the president nor the other Democrats who support the so-called "public option" have supplied many details (6/15). Health Reform Must Include Legal Reform Charleston Daily Mail The president might have more luck selling his vision if he cut medical costs up front instead. One way to do that is to end the titanic struggle between the medical profession and the legal profession, which has played out in every state of the union (6/16). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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