Dec 16, 2020
NEW YORK (AP) U.S. regulators have approved a genetically modified pig for food and medical products, making it the second such animal to get the green light for human consumption. But the company behind it says there are no imminent plans to sell it for meat.
The pig is genetically engineered to eliminate the presence of alpha-gal, a type of sugar found in many mammals. The sugar makes its way into many products including medications, cosmetics and food and can cause allergic reactions in some people.
The main goal of the company behind the pig, United Therapeutics Corp., is to develop medical products, such as blood thinners, that won’t set off such reactions, said its spokesman Dewey Steadman. Eventually, the Silver Spring, Maryland-based firm hopes to develop a way for the pig’s organs to be transplanted into people.
The coalition will hold drug manufacturers accountable for refusing to provide mandated discounts.
Credit: AP
In this June 4, 2019, photo, Dana Nessel, Attorney General of Michigan, listens to a question from reporters in Detroit. Hundreds of boxes. Millions of records. From Texas to Michigan this month, attorneys general are sifting through secret files, nondisclosure agreements between the church and families, heart wrenching letters from parents begging for action, priests own psychiatric evaluations. They re looking to prosecute, and not just priests. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Author: 13 ON YOUR SIDE Staff Published: 10:37 AM EST December 17, 2020 Updated: 10:37 AM EST December 17, 2020
LANSING, Mich. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to hold accountable drug manufacturers that are unlawfully refus
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Attorney General Nessel Joins Bipartisan Coalition Supporting Drug Pricing Discounts for Vulnerable Patients
Attorney General Nessel Joins Bipartisan Coalition Supporting Drug Pricing Discounts for Vulnerable Patients Contact: Ryan Jarvi 517-599-2746Agency: Attorney General
December 17, 2020
LANSING Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to hold accountable drug manufacturers that are unlawfully refusing to provide discounts to federally qualified health centers, hospitals and other providers that serve vulnerable patient populations through the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
The 340B Drug Pricing Program provides discounts to covered health care providers that serve uninsured and low-income patients, and helps these providers keep costs low even as prescription drug prices rise. In their letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, the attorneys gene
SOM
Attorney General Nessel Joins Bipartisan Coalition Supporting Drug Pricing Discounts for Vulnerable Patients
Attorney General Nessel Joins Bipartisan Coalition Supporting Drug Pricing Discounts for Vulnerable Patients Contact: Ryan Jarvi 517-599-2746Agency: Attorney General
December 17, 2020
LANSING Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to hold accountable drug manufacturers that are unlawfully refusing to provide discounts to federally qualified health centers, hospitals and other providers that serve vulnerable patient populations through the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
The 340B Drug Pricing Program provides discounts to covered health care providers that serve uninsured and low-income patients, and helps these providers keep costs low even as prescription drug prices rise. In their letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, the attorneys gen
Walter Sánchez-Suárez, the veterinary scientist, and animal behaviour and welfare expert, was less upbeat. “Unfortunately, this is another example of how sentient non-humans are systematically exploited in the US,” he said.
Suarez, who works with US NGO Mercy for Animals, said genetic modification was a “complex tool with great potential [but] also one whose use raises serious ethical and practical questions”. That tool, he said, would now be “merely employed to support the financial interests of animal production corporations”.
Consumers interested in alpha-gal free meat might include those who have alpha-gal syndrome, believed to be caused by tick bites. Consumption of standard red meat, which also contains alpha-gal, can then trigger allergic reactions, ranging in severity from hives to difficulty breathing.