Since we were just discussing patents, some might find this opinion by Michael
Crichton interesting. You might recall that he was a doctor before he became
an author....
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/13/opinion/13crichton.html?ex=1172034000&en=7ea43bf26f91f0fc&ei=5070&emc=eta1%3E
You'll need to have a free login to read it. Here's a couple of key points:
Gene patents are now used to halt research, prevent medical testing and keep
vital information from you and your doctor....And they raise costs
exorbitantly: a test for breast cancer that could be done for $1,000 now costs
$3,000.
...
But forget the costs: why should people or companies own a disease in the
first place? They didn’t invent it. Yet today, more than 20 human pathogens
are privately owned, including haemophilus influenza and Hepatitis C. And
we’ve already mentioned that tests for the BRCA genes for breast cancer cost
$3,000. Oh, one more thing: if you undergo the test, the company that owns the
patent on the gene can keep your tissue and do research on it without asking
your permission. Don’t like it? Too bad.
...
Jeff
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