Roche Molecular Gains FDA Clearance for Its Companion Diagnostic Test for New Skin Cancer Drug

Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists can expect more companion diagnostics in responses to advances in molecular knowledge about various diseases Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared two products for market, one of which may be of particular interest to anatomic pathologists. The first product is a therapeutic drug for the treatment of late-stage skin cancer. The second product is a companion clinical laboratory test that will be used to identify skin cancer...

Gen-Y Physicians Take Ethical High Road with Pharma and Medical Device Influence

Young physicians want more transparency in financial relationships By their actions, Generation Y doctors are sending a clear message that they want to take the ethical high road in their dealings with drug companies and medical device developers. In medical schools across the nation, young physicians are speaking up about what they consider to be one element of greed in their profession. Their advocacy group, the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), is calling for a crackdown on...

New IOM Report Calls for Tougher Rules on Physician Relations with the Medical Industry

Goal is to address conflict of interest in clinical studies and CME programs Each year, clinical laboratories and laboratory medicine associations receive less financial support from industry vendors and suppliers. This is a response to tougher Medicare compliance requirements and tighter ethics guidelines. Now comes a report from the Institute of Medicine calling for further reforms on how companies work with physicians to conduct clinical trials and publicize the findings. The IOM...
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