Medicine doctor and stethoscope in hand touching icon medical network connection with modern virtual screen interface, medical technology network concept

Governing Health Data for Research, Development, and Innovation: The Missteps of the European Health Data Space Proposal

The Petrie-Flom Center Staff Leave a comment

By Enrique Santamaría

Together with the Data Governance Act (DGA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the proposal for a Regulation on the European Health Data Space (EHDS) will most likely form the new regulatory and governance framework for the use of health data in the European Union. Although well intentioned and thoroughly needed, there are aspects of the EHDS that require further debate, reconsiderations, and amendments. Clarity about what constitutes scientific research is particularly needed.

Read More

Public toilet that is bright and clean with a male-female sign and the toilet for the disabled is clearly distinguished.

Trans-antagonism Creates Space for the Worst Side of the Law

Temple University Center for Public Health Law Research Leave a comment

By Adam Herpolsheimer

By no means the first foray into gender identity-based discrimination, the legacy of North Carolina’s HB2 (2016) — known colloquially as the bathroom bill — is one we cannot shake. The law has since been repealed but was ultimately a turning point for what was possible in terms of legal action against the trans community. HB2 was particularly bothersome and ill-advised because of the legal mechanism it used to achieve its goals: preemption.

Read More

Gavel and stethoscope.

Public Health Law and Civil Rights Laws Must Work Together to Rise to the Challenge of Long COVID

The Petrie-Flom Center Staff Leave a comment

By Elizabeth Pendo

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the need for public health laws and policies that align with and reinforce civil rights protections for disproportionately impacted populations is greater than ever. In particular, disability rights laws will be critical for responding to the millions of Americans who experience lasting or recurring symptoms after acute COVID-19 infection (commonly referred to as “long COVID”). This article will discuss the importance of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in protecting the rights of people with long COVID and other disabilities in the workplace, in health care, and in disability and other benefits in order to chart an equitable path forward.

Read More

Modern Medical Research Laboratory with Computer Showing Virus Genome Research Software. Scientific Laboratory Biotechnology Development Center Full of High-Tech Equipment.

How Artificial Intelligence is Revolutionizing Drug Discovery

Matthew Chun Leave a comment

By Matthew Chun

In recent months, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm. AI systems like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion have captured the imagination of the masses with their impressive and sometimes controversial ability to generate human-like text and artwork. However, it may come as a surprise to some that — in addition to writing Twitter threads and dating app messages — AI is also well underway in revolutionizing the discovery of life-saving drugs.

Read More

Asthma inhalers on table against blurred background.

Monthly Round-Up of What to Read on Pharma Law and Policy

Ameet Sarpatwari Leave a comment

By Ameet Sarpatwari,  Liam Bendicksen, and Aaron S. Kesselheim

Each month, members of the Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL) review the peer-reviewed medical literature to identify interesting empirical studies, policy analyses, and editorials on health law and policy issues relevant to current or potential future work in the Division.

Below are the abstracts/summaries for papers identified from the month of January. The selections feature topics ranging from a study of inhaler manufacturers’ revenues after the expiration of primary patents, to an analysis of the clinical value of drugs that companies heavily market to consumers on television, to an exploration of how the public sector and academic institutions have contributed to gene therapy innovation. A full posting of abstracts/summaries of these articles may be found on our website.

Read More

Gas stove burner with burning gas. Sale and purchase of gas fuel.

The Public Health Case Against Gas Appliances

Jennifer Oliva Leave a comment

By Heather Payne and Jennifer D. Oliva

Gas appliances’ health impacts pose a grave danger to tenant health and safety.

In a forthcoming article, we argue that the mere presence of natural gas appliances in the home renders a dwelling uninhabitable due to their potential health harms. We further contend that tenants should invoke the implied warranty of habitability to eliminate the continued exposure to natural gas appliance-generated indoor air pollutants.

Read More

3D Rendering Crispr DNA Editing.

Responding to the Comeback of He Jiankui, ‘The CRISPR Baby Scientist’: Lessons from Criminal Justice Theory

Matthew Chun Leave a comment

By Matthew Chun

He Jiankui — a high-profile Chinese scientist convicted for conducting unethical gene-editing experiments — has been released from prison and is currently fundraising for his new gene therapy endeavor. As the scientific community grapples with how to respond, theories of criminal justice can provide important perspectives to better inform the conversation surrounding Dr. He’s return to research.

Read More