Good for them! Too bad the US has Bush.
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EU lawmakers back rules for stem cell, other cures
Wed Apr 25, 10:41 AM ET
European lawmakers backed new rules for stem cell and other advanced
medical therapies on Wednesday, despite opposition from a key member of
the European Parliament.
The European Union legislature rejected so-called ethical amendments to
the regulation that will create a centralized process for approving new
tissue and cell engineering therapies.
"It is a big day for European biotech," said Johan Vanhemelrijck,
secretary general of EuropaBio, representing the region's biotechnology
companies.
"The Advanced Therapies Regulation will put an end to the bewildering
patchwork of guidelines, regulations and procedures that exist today,
where some countries have no specific framework at all," he added.
Negotiations between the European Commission, European Parliament and EU
member states had collapsed two weeks ago.
Supporters of the new treatments -- for diseases or injuries including
skin burns, Alzheimer's, cancer or muscular dystrophy -- blamed the
breakdown on the religious beliefs of a lawmaker responsible for getting
the rules through the legislature.
Miroslav Mikolasik, a member of the parliament from Slovakia, insisted
on two amendments that would have excluded certain advanced therapies,
such as treatments using embryonic stem cells, from the new centralized
approval process.
The European Commission, which penned the regulation, welcomed the vote
and said it expected EU governments to provide their support as well.
"Harmonised EU rules are urgently needed to ensure uniform patients'
access to treatments and support the development of this emerging
biotechnology industry," it said in a statement.
The regulations were also supported by Europe's biotech industry which
has warned the region could face a block on potentially vital new
medicines without the new rules.
Stem cell therapy is still a long way from the market but the potential
therapeutic use of embryonic stem cells is a politically charged issue
in many countries.
Proponents say it offers major hope of cures for such ailments as
Parkinson's disease, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. But research
requires destruction of days-old embryos that is condemned by many
anti-abortion advocates.
(Additional reporting by Ben Hirschler in London)
Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or
redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the
prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any
errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance
thereon.
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http://tinyurl.com/2aphnv
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John #1782
"We should always be disposed to believe that which appears to us to be
white is really black, if the hierarchy of the church so decides."
- Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) Founder of the Jesuit Order.
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