Slashdot Mirror
British Columbia Bows To Breast Cancer Patent
dlek writes "Bowing to pressure from Utah's Myriad Genetics, the government of British Columbia has stopped offering a test for hereditary breast cancer. The price of the test, which looks at two genes responsible for the cancer, has tripled to $3500US. Our public health care system can't afford to pay so we're sending people to Ontario, which is ignoring the patent. People are disappointed we're not doing the same... previous Slashdot mentions are on their original claim and on the Curie Institute's challenge to the patent."
Slightly related news? I turned on Bloomberg this AM and found the president discussing generic prescription drugs and how the drug companies are abusing the stay process in order to maintain a hold on the drug going generic. If he's starting to look at the generic-ization of meds, perhaps it's the tip of the iceberg for things such as this.
Disclaimer: I'm a right-winger, but dunno about this idea.. after all drug companies do take finantial risks to make new medications. But holding potential benefits for people's health over their head in the name of pure profit bothers me. Like the Microsoft stuff, it possibly sets a bad precedent.. I hate m$' heavy-handed tactics but having the government step in seems a bad idea.
-fester
-'fester
So these guys pretend to be above God and/or Nature and pretend ownership of their Creation...
Interesting to see this thing coming from traditionally religious Utah... Is anyone tryng to create a new religion of The Chosen who can afford the Patented Creation that offers the Misteries of Human Genes capable to prolong Patented Life and improve Patented Health just for a miserable sacrifice of a few thousands? While The Patented Infidels will be forced to avoid touching their Patented Ills so they can meet their Patented Destiny, as they don't have a penny to pay the humble sacrifice, that is the wish of being humans?
No, because they use a different method. The patent covers the method of detecting these two genes. If you can do the same with another method, you are free to do so.
Yes. In Canada healthcare is provided by the provinces, based on federal grants on a yearly basis. Public opinion polls regularly show it to be the strongest supported social benefit provided in Canada. Unfortunately we're trying to provide health care in CAD $ but based on US technology, so our dollar exchange is hurting our adoption of new technology. Also, we've had problems in the past of high quality surgeons fleeing to the US since their rates are capped by the federal government since they're guaranteed salary.
Some things are not covered, like optional surgey, medications, and some quality-of-life coverage. However, other social agencies can provide support to those truly in need (although even these a struggling).
I believe national health coverage is our biggest expense, even coming ahead of defense, education, and infrastructure.
Lots of national debate on allowing privitisation of some sectors. People are afraid that this will result in 2-tier health care. Other ideas are charging nominal service fees to curb abuse (e.g. $5 a doctor's visit). For people with wealth, they have the option of going to the US to short-cut long lines for specialised service, especially relating to cancer therapy. In some cases as a Canadian citizen you are eligible for some compensation.
By no means a perfect system, but I prefer it to alternatives in other countries such as England and the US. I'd rather spend 30% of our GDP on healthcare than on a military budget.
John Maynard Keynes: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?"
You can view it here.
It sounds like it patents both a method and a gene... but being that I no nothing about modern genetics, I can even being to analyze if the more important part of the patents is a novel method, or just a bunch of chemical sequences (which are listed).
_sig_ is away
One can patent an invention, such as a method of detecting a disease, but one cannot patent a discorvery, such as the function of a gene or an island, planet or anything such.
Thus is the mentioned patent a load of crap and can happily be ignored! (IMHO)
acctually, canada only spends 8% of it's GDP on healthcare(the U.S. spend 12%)
We all have the gene. Actually we all recieved one copy from mom and one from dad at the moment of conception. Therefore all of our cells have 2 copies of the gene (BRCA1 for example). this gene does something beneficial for us when it works properly. however, it may become alter and not work properly. It will then be called a mutated gene. The patent that Myriad has resulted because they "discovered" the gene. thjeir patent allows only them to look for "mutations" in the gene. This is what is called genetic testing. For example if you have a lot of breast and ovarian cancer in your family, you could be tested to see if you carried the mutated copy of BRCA1. if you did, then your risk for cancer would be greater than average. Since Myriad wants all of the worlds tests to be supplied by them. at great cost, many individuals will not be able to access this discovery for their benefit.
a brand of health care system stressed because of its communal nature?
You've been hoodwinked by the media. The Canadian health care system is, in fact, in better shape than the US system. It costs less to deliver health care in Canada, and it covers more people at the same time.
Read Canada's Burning! Media myths about universal health coverage from the Washington Monthly.
--
Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
I quote:
Did you know you can fertilize your lawn with used motor oil?
Pinko is a term that is most often joined with the new-world definition of communist.
Originally from the phrase, "parlor pink", connoting someone, who at his ease in his petit bourgeois home, inclines to the belief that socialist revolution is a fundamental right of Mankind, so long as it doesn't interrupt his cocktail hour.
In other words, someone (significantly) less radical than a "red"; an ineffectual dilettante.
The term "pinko" diverges from this meaning, but not by too much: it still suggests someone who moans loudly about revolution, the brotherhood of all Mankind, and being held down by "The Man", while scoring a lid of Thai Stick with Daddy's money.
Opinions on the Twiddler2 hand-held keyboard?
For those wildly speculating or just wondering about the research races, patent conundrums, ethical dilemmas and personalities involved, the book Curing Cancer : Solving One of the Greatest Medical Mysteries of Our Time, by Michael Waldholz, covers the race for BRCA-1 (the first gene really linked to hereditary breast cancer) up to about 1995. The founders of Myriad are an important part of the story, and it's an interesting read.
;-) ).
I have been friends with key founding personnel of Myriad for over 30 years now, and I believe they are sincerely devoted to improving humankind's lot. Although the ethical issues raised are very sticky, there would not have been a good gene test to be fighting over so soon if it were not for their research. But Myriad is now a public company, and unfortunately the almighty buck (a.k.a. stockholder value) governs their decisions much more than in the early, research-oriented days of the company. I think the failing is not with Myriad's medical ethics, but with the insanely high quarterly returns that are demanded of public companies, regardless of any Bad Things that may result for society (and/or Canada
You shall see a cow on the roof of a cotton house.