Gene Patenting Benefits

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Health care in today's society is easier to obtain however the health care system still has a major issue. Imagine your doctor informs you that you have a rare breast cancer. Now “a test for breast cancer that could have been done for $1,000 now costs $3,000” (Crichton 431). You could die because you cannot afford it; or even worse the information from your genes have become private property. If a doctor discovered a new disease you should ultimately have the right to decide what steps should be taken next. Gene patenting should not be allowed due to the fact that patenting creates power and wealth amongst individuals, industries, and countries; it also cripples research for cures of diseases and disorders, and it enables individuals to get …show more content…
Gene patents are more of a loss to its patients than a success to the individuals that could really benefit from them. The owner of the patent can charge any price for the particular research of that gene. Though the genes in our body are not patentable, the degree of manipulation and alteration that is required to isolate and identify a human gene. Scientifically this means the genes that are altered and manipulated can gain a legal patent. With many gene patent requests it lacks such requirements so the approval of the patent is unacceptable.
“Efforts are placed disproportionately on discoveries that would maximize profits to the inventors, by targeting large, potentially lucrative markets, rather than on discoveries that would maximize benefit to society” (Willison 15).
Anyone conducting an experiment on a patient without a license can be sued for infringement of patent rights. The same holds true for other genes and for any pharmaceutical company, scientist, or university that holds similar patents. Having a patent not only puts just one individual or company in the game but it can limit others from even potentially trying to do well and be helpful for any …show more content…
Patenting of genetic material has become a sensitive topic to the world, because it is rightfully wrong to claim or restrict studies on an individual's genetic makeup. “Gene patents are now used to halt research, prevent medical testing, and keep vital information from you and your doctor. Gene patents slow the pace of medical advance on deadly diseases” (Crichton 431). The cost of testing to help identify or even prevent a particular disease has raised through the roof tremendously, preventing most patients from receiving the care that is needed. For instance let’s take Myriad Genetics this pharmaceutical company became the entity to patent the BRCA gene, which is the gene that’s associated with breast cancer. Everything that you can think of that is affiliated with the BRCA gene it all went to Myriad Genetics, the testing for the gene, the treatment, and the patent even prevented others from doing anything with the BRCA gene. The patent was approved in 1994 and after twenty years, have we been able to save as many lives as we have spent as much money in “research”? Now Myriad Genetics is being sued just for this
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