Democratising access to genetic services.

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Health Policy
• Intellectual Property Law

Background:

• Discussions on healthcare funding and allocation are crucial for public and private insurance plans.
• The increasing patenting of healthcare technologies, particularly genetic testing, poses challenges to equitable health care distribution.
• The commercialization of genetic technologies raises ethical questions regarding access and justice in healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the ethical implications of patenting genetic testing technologies.
• To apply moral philosophy concepts to the commercialization of genetic technologies.
• To propose a more just and rational approach to health care decision-making in the Canadian health insurance context.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the ethical and policy implications of patenting genetic testing.
• Application of moral philosophy concepts to commercialization of genetic technologies.
• Case study: Myriad Genetics' patenting of BRCA1 & BRCA2 genes for hereditary breast cancer testing.

Main Results:

• Patenting genetic tests can restrict access and hinder equitable distribution of healthcare services.
• The commercialization of genetic technologies necessitates a re-evaluation of healthcare decision-making frameworks.
• Ethical considerations must guide policy to ensure just access to essential health technologies.

Conclusions:

• A more just and rational approach to health care decision-making is needed to balance innovation with equitable access.
• The Canadian health insurance system must address the challenges posed by patented genetic technologies.
• Ethical frameworks are essential for navigating the complexities of genetic technology commercialization in healthcare.