by Michael Rugnetta, Science Progress, July 1, 2010.
A recently released study by direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe reveals the privacy challenges ahead for public health policymakers as so-called genomewide association studies, which look for specific genetic traits in huge genetic databases, enter the mainstream of scientific inquiry. (http://tinyurl.com/2exzq9n)
Concerns surfaced about the data generated from direct-to-consumer tests. Should private companies be able to garner income from these tests? Should the government seek to acquire this data for the sake of public health? Those most closely involved seek to define patient confidentiality in the face of this emerging technology.
by Robert Pear, The New York Times, July 13, 2010.
The federal government issued new rules Tuesday that will reward doctors and hospitals for the “meaningful use” of electronic health records, a top goal of President Obama. The rules significantly scale back proposed requirements that the health care industry had denounced as unrealistic. The Department of Health and Human Services said doctors and hospitals could receive as much as $27 billion over the next 10 years to buy equipment to computerize patients’ medical records. (http://tinyurl.com/3yjgjut)
Many believe that electronic health records reduce cost and improve quality of care, while others feel that such records create privacy concerns for patients. The government is now giving monetary incentives to doctors and hospitals that choose to use this method for handling patients records.
by Michael Rugnetta, Science Progress, July 20, 2010.
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues convened last week for its first meeting. The commission—created by executive order with the “goal of identifying and promoting policies and practices that ensure scientific research, healthcare delivery, and technological innovation are conducted in an ethically responsible manner”—was tasked by President Barack Obama to study first the implications of synthetic biology. (http://tinyurl.com/29h68fp)
The first Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues convened as a result of the announcement of the successful creation of the first “synthetic” cell. The meeting and subsequent report focused on making scientific innovation “safe, responsible, and democratically accountable.”
by Associated Press, Associated Press, July 22, 2010.
A U.S. government investigator told members of Congress on Thursday that personalized DNA tests claiming to predict certain inheritable diseases are misleading and offer little or no useful information. An undercover investigation by the Government Accountability Office found that four genetic testing companies delivered contradictory predictions based on the same person’s DNA. Investigators also found that test results often contradicted patients’ actual medical histories. (http://tinyurl.com/4goco5)
Personalized DNA tests may need additional scrutiny before consumers can depend upon their results. In the wake of these news stories the FDA began to probe the accuracy of these tests and is considering regulations.
by the CNN Wire Staff, CNN News, August 23, 2010.
A U.S. district judge granted a preliminary injunction Monday to stop federal funding of embryonic stem cell research that he said destroys embryos, ruling it went against the will of Congress. (http://tinyurl.com/2ddfxyq)
In April of 2009 some restrictions for funding on embryonic stem cell research were relaxed. Now the debate continues as a U.S. district judge granted a preliminary injunction to withhold federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.
by Amana Fontanella-Khan, Slate, August 23, 2010.
Reproductive tourism in India is now a half-abillion-dollar-a-year industry, with surrogacy services offered in 350 clinics across the country since it was legalized in 2002. The primary appeal of India is that it is cheap, hardly regulated, and relatively safe. Surrogacy can cost up to $100,000 in the United States, while many Indian clinics charge $22,000 or less. (http://tinyurl.com/48dzwbz)
Couples are turning with increasing frequency to outsourcing their pregnancies to India. While such actions give women of financial means the ability to avoid pregnancy complications, missed days of work, labor and delivery and more, others ponder the ethics of such reproductive choices.
by Christine S. Moyer, American Medical News, August 30, 2010.
On Aug. 13, the FDA approved ella for use in the U.S. The drug probably will be available by the end of the year. The progesterone agonist/ antagonist prevents pregnancy when taken orally within 120 hours after a contraceptive failure or unprotected sex. Emergency contraceptives now on the market, including Plan B, are indicated for use up to 72 hours after sex. (http://tinyurl.com/3x7s3gt)
The FDA’s approval of ella®, a 5-day emergency contraceptive that can have an abortifacient effect, adds to the abortion and right of conscience debate. Its predecessors, Plan B and Plan B One-Step, triggered the same controversy, but it was largely silenced when the medication was taken out the hands of the doctors and moved to over-the-counter status. Questions still remain regarding a physician’s right to refuse the drug.
by Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, September 22, 2010.
Enrollment has begun for the first clinical trial to test a therapy developed from human embryonic stem cells. The trial’s primary aim is to assess the safety of Geron Corp.’s experimental oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, which have been in development for about a decade. They were derived from some of the earliest human embryonic stem cells ever created. (http://tinyurl.com/2dbjmbg)
A new study is commencing to determine the safety of Geron Corp’s experimental oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in spinal cord injury patients. Proponents are welcoming this news citing the medical benefits of this research; others hesitate at the ethical issues involved with using human embryos for scientific experimentation.
by the CNN Wire Staff, CNN, October 1, 2010.
The United States apologized Friday for a 1946-1948 research study in which people in Guatemala were intentionally infected with sexually transmitted diseases. A statement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called the action “reprehensible.” (http://tinyurl.com/4tcogxj)
In the shadow of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, new, unpublished records have been uncovered revealing that 64 years ago U.S. public health researchers deliberately infected over 1,600 Guatemalans with syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases. The U.S. government has reached out to Guatemala offering deep apologies for the human rights violation.
by the CNN Wire Staff, CNN, October 4, 2010.
The “father of the test tube baby,” Robert G. Edwards, won the Nobel Prize for medicine on Monday, the awards committee announced. His contributions to developing in vitro fertilization (IVF) “represent a milestone in the development of modern medicine,” the committee said. (http://tinyurl.com/63blrco)
Thirty-two years after the first child was created through in vitro fertilization, Robert G. Edwards receives the Nobel Prize for medicine. Though decades have passed since the first successful “test tube baby” the procedure still remains controversial with some deploring its use and others desiring to expand its use.
by Ted Robbins, National Public Radio, November 17, 2010.
In Arizona, 98 low-income patients approved for organ transplants have been told they are no longer getting them because of state budget cuts. The patients receive medical coverage through the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the state’s version of Medicaid. While it may be common for private insurance companies or government agencies to change eligibility requirements for medical procedures ahead of time, medical ethicists say authorizing a procedure and then reversing that decision is unheard of. (http://tinyurl.com/277fq6u)
In a rare move, the state of Arizona reneged on promises made to patients awaiting organ transplants. Individuals receiving medical coverage through the state who were previously approved for the procedure will no longer be eligible due to state budget cutbacks.
