Myriad Genetics Stock Is Tanking After Earnings. The CEO Is Out.

Author: Josh Nathan-Kazis
Date of post: 7 February 2020
Source: https://www.barrons.com/articles/myriad-genetics-stock-dropgs-earnings-ceo-is-out-51581083853

This article is a recent update on the company Myriad. While this company may be unfamiliar to you, it was one of the original corporations who held gene patents on the BRCA genes. In 2013, the courts ruled this to be unlawful (BRCA1 and BRACA2). Justice Clarence Thomas wrote at the time that isolated DNA “is a product of nature and not patent eligible.” This decision allowed for cancer testing and research to expand to other companies, including 23&Me. The update on the company is not genetics related per se, but more of an update of poor performance. This is in light of several instances where women had their ovaries and/or fallopian tubes removed, only to find out that their Myriad test could have been a much lower risk than they had originally let on. Companies like 23&Me only test a small portion, which leaves leaves a wide margin of error. Many women are making medical decisions based off of the results from genetic companies like Myriad and 23&Me. I found this update to be interesting in light of the draft that prompted the hearings last summer (The State of Patent Eligibility in America).

Congress Is Debating—Again—Whether Genes Can Be Patented

Author: Megan Molteni 

Date: 5 June 2019

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/congress-is-debating-again-whether-genes-can-be-patented/

In June of 2019, lawmakers proposed a draft of a new bill that would seemingly overturn the prior ruling on gene patenting. Unfortunately, while lawmakers verbally take that stance, the written draft left much to be desired. This bills aim was to determine how much human intervention is needed to determine patent eligibility. This would allow for "new" isolated genes to be patented, in theory. The main concern of many lawmakers is not the implications of gene patenting, but rather view it from a commerce perspective. The article dates to June/July 2019 and doesn't include an update. The only article I found dated to August 2019 and were letters written, an update would be interesting to find.


Kailie Batsche
Potluck 11 February 2020