Take Back Our Genes: Ending the Patents on Breast Cancer Genes
Printer-friendly versionOn Monday June 25th or Tuesday June 26th Breast Cancer Action is hosting the free webinar: Take Back Our Genes: Ending the Patent on Breast Cancer Genes.
Register for this webinar to learn about how one company’s control of the BRCA genes creates barriers to research and testing that could be endangering the health and the healthcare of hundreds of thousands of women.
In 2009 Breast Cancer Action signed on as a plaintiff in the patent lawsuit challenging Myriad Genetics. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Public Patent Foundation, challenges the validity of the patents that grant Myriad Genetics control over the BRCA1 and BRCA2 (the “breast cancer”) genes. Myriad’s monopoly prevents anyone else from so much as examining the genes, and creates barriers to scientific research and medical care relating to breast and ovarian cancer. It also limits women’s ability to get second opinions when they receive ambiguous test results, which happens disproportionately to women from ethnic minorities, including African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans.
To find out more and register for the webinar, visit Breast Cancer Action.
The Canadian Women's Health Network and the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health program are financially supported by Health Canada through the Women's Health Contribution Program. The views herein do not necessarily represent the official policy of Health Canada.