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| Concerns about the proliferation of biological weapons and the threat posed by bioterrorism have assumed greater political prominence in recent years. In response, governments are actively attempting to frustrate the diffusion of technologies, relevant to the production of biological weapons, to regimes and non-state actors which might develop and use such weapons. Their most recent efforts have involved the introduction of a range of new national measures to control access to materials, knowledge and technologies. The States Parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) have at their annual meetings during the intercessional period between the Fifth Review Conference and the Sixth Review Conference been seeking to 'discuss and promote common understanding and effective action' on some such national measures.
To do this, policy makers need information on the impact of new 'biosecurity' measures. However, this is a new area of polivy and few impact assessments have been performed. Our pilot project, funded by the ESRC, has developed and validated new methods for assessing the impact that UK government biosecurity policies are having on the practice of science. This Briefing Paper outlines the project and provides some initial results in order to assist the States Parties to the BTWC in their consideration in 2005 of codes of conduct for scientists and in 2006 at the BTWC Sixth Review Conference when States Parties will be considering further action to be taken on the five topics considered during the intercessional period. | Dr Caitriona McLeish
Dr Paul Nightingale | Strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention
Briefing paper no 17 (Series 2) | Last Updated - 21 June 2005 |
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| The completion of the first draft of the human genome project has raised enormous expectations, not only in terms of identifying genetic predisposition to disease, but also in improving drug therapy through the development and use of personalised medicines. This area of research, which is called pharmacogenetics or pharmacogenomics, is currently fashionable, and promises benefits for both the pharmaceutical industry and the patient.
There are however many obstacles (technological, regulatory, social and
ethical) that have to
be overcome before (or if ever) the potential benefits are realised. The purpose of the chapter is to critically review this area, and the potential benefits that may accrue from it.
Published by the European Observatory on Health Care Systems and Policies (a partnership between the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the Governments of Belgium, Finland, Greece, Norway, Spain and Sweden, the Veneto Region of Italy, the European Investment Bank, the Open Society Institute, the World Bank, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). | Munir Pirohamed
Graham Lewis | Elias Mossialos, Monique Mrazek and Tom Walley (eds)
'Regulating the cost and use of pharmaceuticals in Europe.
European Observatory on Health Care Systems and Policies, Maidenhead, Open University Press. | Last Updated - 11 January 2005 |
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| The pharmaceutical industry is making increasing use of human genetic databases created by the integration of genetic data obtained from human biological material and other data, such as personal lifestyle and medical information, in order to study the relationship between genes and disease. The chapter examines the several methods that pharmaceutical companies use to access human tissue samples and related genetic information (commonly known as genetic databases) and assesses the size and extent of such activity. It also explores the reasons why the industry is interested in tissue collections and genetic information and why investment in human biological material and related bioinformatics products has been expanding dramatically and is likely to continue to do so.
Four models of pharmaceutical industry access are identified: "in-house"
collections established by drug companies themselves; the use of corporate intermediaries in the form of clinical genomics companies; collaborations with existing public collections, such as hospital pathology collections, and other, research-based, tissue banks; and industry use of newly built public collections incorporating public health records and other personal information, such as the UK Biobank, the Icelandic Health Sector Database, and similar initiatives in other countries.
The second of these routes, access via clinical genomics companies, is the most significant at this point in time, apart from pharmaceutical companies' own internal efforts at building genetic databases, and the activities of a number of such companies are discussed. Two other important trends examined are the commercialisation of existing public collections, often through academic-industry collaborations; and the creation of new national biobanks - large population-based collections that incorporate well-defined samples and related patient information obtained through health care delivery systems. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of the policy issues raised by these various developments.
| Dr Graham Lewis
University of York | in R Tutton and O Corrigan (eds) 'Donating, Collecting and Exploiting Human Tissue'. London, Routledge, 2004 | Last Updated - 11 January 2005 |
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| There has been considerable scientific, corporate and policy interest in the more effective use of genetics in both drug development and delivery.
Pharmacogenetics - the study of the relationship between an individual's genetic makeup and response to medicinal drugs - has attracted global interest, but will it live up to its promise? Looking beyond the hype that has accompanied much of the commentary in the area, the future of pharmacogenetics will depend on how competing interests and options are resolved. | A Webster
P Martin
G Lewis
A Smart | Nature Reviews Genetics 5 pp7-13 | Last Updated - 11 January 2005 |
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