Patricia Danzon, Forbes, Biotech
Kevin Volpp, CNBC, 'Smart' Pill Bottles
The FDA, 23andMe, And What We Really Want From Genetic Testing
In a harshly worded letter released Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered the company 23andMe to “immediately discontinue marketing” its saliva spit test (from which a consumer’s DNA is isolated) and personalized genome service until it provides the FDA with requested information on safety and effectiveness. I asked Reed Pyeritz, MD, PhD, a medical geneticist at Penn and former president of the American College of Medical Genetics, to comment on this development. He wrote:
Turning the Dollar Spigot Down on Health Care Technology
Last week’s article by Jon Skinner in the MIT Technology Review, The Costly Paradox of Health-Care Technology was an excellent synopsis of the unique and bizarre relationship between technology and the marketplace that exists in American medicine. Unlike almost any other sector of the economy, in health care new technology drives up costs while often providing little or no benefit.
Steven Marcus, Reuters, Less Effective Drugs?
Hanna Zafar, Penn News, Virtual Colonoscopies
Genomic Variation: What Does It Mean?
This Issue Brief summarizes a series of studies examining the uncertainties revolving around chromosomal microarray testing, which has become the new standard of practice in genetic testing of children with unexplained anomalies.
Big Changes for Hospitals and Medical Device Marketers
Jason Karlawish, NEJM, Biomarker Patent Wars
Timothy Rebbeck, Voice of America, Genetic Testing
Re-engineering Drug Discovery and Development
This Issue Brief summarizes the problem, describes ongoing governmental efforts to influence the process, and suggests changes in regulatory science and translational medicine that may promote more successful development of safe and effective therapeutics.