AAMC Letter on Federal Study
of Gene Patents (Rivers-Weldon)
March 7, 2002
The Honorable Lynn Rivers
U.S. House of Representatives
Room 1724
Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
By Fax: (202) 225-3404
Dear Rep. Rivers:
I am writing on behalf of the Association of American Medical
Colleges (AAMC) to support the proposed "Genomic Science
and Technology Innovation Act," directing the Office
of Science and Technology Policy to study the impact of federal
intellectual property policies on genomic research and development.
The AAMC represents the nation's 125 allopathic medical schools,
approximately 400 teaching hospitals, and 94 professional
and academic societies. Many of these institutions are major
contributors to the advancement of genomic research and are
pioneering its application to medicine and public health.
The AAMC recognizes that the American patent system established
by the Constitution has played an historic role in the realization
of many useful and beneficial technologies and is a cornerstone
of the nation's prosperity. Strong patent protections are
almost always critical to the development of new pharmaceuticals,
medical devices and other "downstream" applications
of basic biomedical research. We also are cognizant of concerns
raised in some quarters that a complex maze of patent protections
relating to the human genome may in fact hinder important
basic research and discovery. Concerns have also been raised
that some patent and licensing practices may actually delay
or preclude the effective or widespread implementation of
genetic diagnostic testing or other timely application of
genetic information.
We believe that the White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy commands the appropriate authority and the resources
needed to undertake a balanced examination of this issue and
coordinate input from numerous federal agencies with expertise
in facets of this issue. These agencies include the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office, the National Institutes of Health, the
Department of Energy, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, and the National Science Foundation, among others.
The OSTP further has well-established channels of communication
with leading scientific advisory bodies, such as the National
Academies, and with industry and civic leaders that will be
necessary to achieve a broad based resolution of this issue.
The AAMC enthusiastically supports this legislation and
we commend the vision it demonstrates.
Sincerely,
Jordan J. Cohen, M.D.
|
