US Biotechnology Law & Policy News

Congress votes to expand stem cell research

2007-06-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

The Democratic-led Congress defied President George W. Bush and gave final approval to legislation to expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research. In an effort to ease concerns, the bill would permit scientists to only use embryos left over from fertility treatments that would otherwise be discarded. Donors would be required to provide written consent. Reuters

House rejects bill to ban human cloning

2007-06-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

Mostly Republican lawmakers defeated a Democratic bid to outlaw cloning of human babies, concurring with the White House that the effort was flawed and would still permit destruction of life because it would allow embryos to be created for stem-cell research. The White House reaffirmed President George W. Bush's opposition to human cloning. It had threatened to veto the measure, noting the bill would still allow creation of embryos for stem-cell research which requires destruction of human life. Reuters

As Demand for Donor Eggs Soars, High Prices Stir Ethical Concerns

2007-05-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

Though many egg donors derive great satisfaction from knowing that they helped someone start a family, the price of eggs has soared in recent years as demand has increased, and the sizable payments raise controversy. Though laws prohibit the sale of transplant organs, sperm donors have always received small payments, and prospective parents in the United States are allowed to compensate women for their far greater expenditure of time and energy. Ethicists and some women’s health advocates worry that lucrative payments are enticing young women with credit-card debt and steep tuition bills to sell eggs without seriously evaluating the risks. The New York Times

New York Plan for DNA Data in Most Crimes

2007-05-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

Gov. Eliot Spitzer is proposing a major expansion of New York’s database of DNA samples to include people convicted of most crimes, while making it easier for prisoners to use DNA to try to establish their innocence. Currently, New York State collects DNA from those convicted of about half of all crimes, typically the most serious. The governor’s proposal would order DNA taken from those found guilty of any misdemeanor, including minor drug offenses, harassment or unauthorized use of a credit card, according to a draft of his bill. The New York Times

Massachusetts Proposes Stem Cell Research Grants

2007-05-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

Gov. Deval Patrick unveiled a $1.25 billion proposal intended to help the state maintain its status as a pre-eminent place for stem cell research and other life sciences. The money would provide grants for university and hospital scientists, establish special research centers to make their work faster and more efficient, and train workers for biotechnology businesses. The New York Times

U.S. House backs bill barring genetic discrimination

2007-04-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

A bill that would prohibit genetic discrimination against people won overwhelming approval in the U.S. House of Representatives. It would ban group health plans and health insurers from denying coverage to a healthy person or charging higher premiums based solely on a genetic predisposition to a disease. It also would prohibit employers from using genetic information in hiring, firing, job placement or promotion decisions. Reuters

Senate, Bush head for showdown on stem cells

2007-04-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

The White House threatened on Tuesday to veto a new bid to lift U.S. President George W. Bush's restrictions on federal funding of stem cell research as the Senate began considering the bipartisan bill. While the Democratic-led Senate seemed certain to pass the legislation as early as Wednesday, it was unclear if backers would have the needed two-thirds majority to override a veto. The bill, a 2006 Democratic campaign promise, would expand federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, lifting restrictions Bush imposed in 2001. Reuters

As Ethics Panels Expand Grip, No Field Is Off Limits

2007-02-28T22:29:00.000-08:00

Ever since the gross mistreatment of poor black men in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study came to light three decades ago, the federal government has required ethics panels to protect people from being used as human lab rats in biomedical studies. Yet now, faculty and graduate students across the country increasingly complain that these panels have spun out of control, curtailing academic freedom and interfering with research in history, English and other subjects that poses virtually no danger to anyone. The New York Times

California Stem Cell Research Is Upheld by Appeals Court

2007-02-28T22:28:00.000-08:00

California’s stem cell research program is legal, a state appeals court ruled in a decision that could hasten the day when the state’s $3 billion research effort can get fully under way. The San Francisco-based court upheld a decision made by a lower court last spring that found that the program did not violate laws concerning state spending, the structure of ballot initiatives or rules regarding conflicts of interest. The New York Times

California Gives Stem Cell Research Grants

2007-02-16T21:42:00.000-08:00

California’s stem cell agency gave out nearly $45 million in research grants to about 20 state universities and nonprofit research laboratories on Friday, far exceeding the federal government’s annual outlays for stem cell work. In issuing the first significant research grants in its two-year history, the agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, became the biggest financial backer of human embryonic stem cell research. The New York Times

U.S. Set to Begin a Vast Expansion of DNA Sampling

2007-02-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

The Justice Department is completing rules to allow the collection of DNA from most people arrested or detained by federal authorities, a vast expansion of DNA gathering that will include hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, by far the largest group affected. The new forensic DNA sampling was authorized by Congress in a little-noticed amendment to a January 2006 renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, which provides protections and assistance for victims of sexual crimes. The New York Times

Girl or Boy? As Fertility Technology Advances, So Does an Ethical Debate

2007-02-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

If people want to choose their baby’s sex before pregnancy, should doctors help? Some parents would love the chance to decide, while others wouldn’t dream of meddling with nature. The medical world is also divided. Professional groups say sex selection is allowable in certain situations, but differ as to which ones. Meanwhile, it’s not illegal, and some doctors are already cashing in on the demand. The New York Times

Scientists craft embryonic stem cell ethics rules

2007-02-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

New international guidelines on human embryonic stem cell research called for close scrutiny of scientists and clear consent from people donating cells, but did not settle the issue of paying women who donate eggs. The International Society for Stem Cell Research, the principal scientific group for stem cell scientists, said its 15 pages of rules released on Thursday were meant to establish ground rules for a field stung by a fraud scandal and opposition by some people on moral grounds. Reuters

IBM supports genetic antidiscrimination bill

2007-01-31T21:48:00.000-08:00

IBM, one of the world's largest employers, on Tuesday endorsed federal legislation that would make it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of a person's genetic code. Emerging breakthroughs in gene testing will enable doctors to tailor prescription medication to the individual and treat patients proactively against a predisposition to things like diabetes, breast cancer or heart disease. CNET News

Idea of 'designer' babies with defective genes stirs ethics questions

2007-01-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

The power to create "perfect" designer babies looms over the world of prenatal testing. Creating made-to-order babies with genetic defects would seem to be an ethical minefield, but to some parents with disabilities -- say, deafness or dwarfism -- it just means making babies like them. And a recent survey of U.S. clinics that offer embryo screening suggests it's already happening. CNN.com

Bridling at Insulin’s Cost, States Push for Generics

2007-01-16T22:38:00.000-08:00

Insulin is caught in a commercial tug of war between brand-name drug companies that want to protect their franchises and generic drug makers that want to produce their own insulin products. Recently, each side has stepped up efforts to advance its side of the argument, and there are signs that Congress is ready to make life easier for generic drug companies. Some generic drug manufacturers say that a first step would be for the F.D.A. to adopt guidelines explaining the testing and documentation that would be required for the approval of insulin. The New York Times

Spitzer Wants New York to Enter Stem Cell Race

2007-01-16T22:33:00.000-08:00

Five years ago, the Bush administration decided to severely limit federal financing for embryonic stem cell research, a move that set off vigorous competition among the states to provide support for a research field that many scientists say could bring about major medical advances. But New York — home to leading research universities, medical centers and biotechnology companies — has remained absent from the list. Now, state lawmakers are preparing to move forward on what would be the most ambitious government-financed stem cell project on the East Coast. The New York Times

Stem Cell Bill Sails Through the House

2007-01-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

The House voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to broaden federal support for embryonic stem cell research, stepping up a confrontation with President Bush over a thorny scientific and ethical issue that Democrats hope to capitalize on in the next election. The vote, 253 to 174, was not enough to overturn a likely presidential veto of the measure, which would authorize federal support for research using stem cells derived from excess embryos that fertility clinics would otherwise discard. The New York Times

Top scientific journal pledges to curb fraud

2006-11-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

A leading scientific journal that published phony stem cell findings lacks adequate procedures to detect fraudulent work and must do a better job scrutinizing "high-risk" research, a panel appointed by the publication found on Tuesday. Donald Kennedy, editor-in-chief of Science, said the prestigious journal accepted the major findings of the six-member independent committee and pledged to craft new guidelines to guard against fraud. CNN.com

GMO rice found safe, but trade still fettered

2006-11-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

U.S. regulators' latest move to sanction a strain of biotech rice may do little to soothe lingering doubts about the oversight of genetically modified foods destined for export markets, analysts and industry groups said this week. Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that LLRICE601, a strain of genetically modified rice made by Bayer CropScience, was safe for the environment and could be grown and sold without government oversight. Reuters

Election outcome boosts embryonic stem cell work

2006-11-14T20:29:00.000-08:00

The religious protesters are gone and expansion plans are back on track at a top Kansas City stem-cell research lab after Missouri voters endorsed the controversial field in last week's elections. Reuters

Celebrities square off in stem cell ads in Missouri

2006-10-26T01:06:00.000-07:00

Entertainment and sports celebrities are weighing in on the volatile issue of embryonic stem cell research as Election Day nears in Missouri. BPNews

President Signs "Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005"

2006-01-08T23:55:00.000-08:00

President Signs "Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005"
[White House News]

High court will hear case over heart attack test [...

2005-11-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

High court will hear case over heart attack test
[WWAY3NewsChannel]

Pew Initiative Finds State Legislators Focused on ...

2005-06-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

Pew Initiative Finds State Legislators Focused on "Next Generation" Products
[Pew Initiative]