Evil patent stops BC breast-cancer patients from being diagnosed

Cory Doctorow 7:54 am Tue Oct 22, 2002

British Columbia will no longer use an effective, low-cost breast-cancer test because of the threat of a patent infringement suit.

Utah-based Myriad Genetics Inc. has put a patent on two genes that can signal whether a woman may develop hereditary breast cancer…

Myriad now wants $3,500 US for the blood test, three times what it used to cost the province…

Myriad also holds monopoly gene patents for ovarian, colon and prostate cancers, among the 99 it currently holds…

Health Services Minister Colin Hansen said the genetic tests were stopped here on legal advice.

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(Thanks, John!)

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