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Opinion Pieces Examine Recent Public Opinion Polls On Abortion
Two newspapers recently published opinion pieces on abortion-related public opinion polls. Summaries appear below.~ Steven Kull, Baltimore Sun: Although "many Americans feel morally conflicted about" abortion, it is a "common error to believe that the American electorate is deeply divided about how the government should deal with" the procedure, Kull -- director of WorldPublicOpinion.org and the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland -- writes in a Sun opinion piece. He adds that "there is substantial consensus that the government should not criminalize abortion." According to Kull, a new CNN poll found that 68% of respondents believe Roe v. Wade should not be overturned, and a recent WorldPublicOpinion.org poll found that when asked, "Do you think the government should be involved in trying to discourage abortion or do you think the government should leave these matters to the individual," 69% said that the matter should be left to the individual. Kull adds that "of the 29% who said that the government should be involved in trying to discourage abortions, a remarkably low 8% favored using criminal enforcement methods." According to Kull, other polls have found if "given a middle option -- somewhere between strict prohibition and government permission -- a significant number will choose it." Kull writes that "once the moral question is differentiated from the question of how the government should act, it does appear that there is substantial consensus that abortion should not be criminalized." He concludes, "Once the option of criminal enforcement is taken off the table, constructive options are more likely to emerge and can be an effective focus for the energies freed up from the incessant debates about abortion" (Kull, Baltimore Sun, 5/22).~ Cheryl Wetzstein, Washington Times: "It"s rather ironic that as the most pro-choice government in U.S. history settles into its seats," a Gallup poll "finds that most Americans are pro-life," columnist Wetzstein writes in a Times opinion piece. She adds, "Some observers have tried to pooh-pooh this result, but it doesn"t surprise me for two reasons." Wetzstein writes that her "experience with youth, both personally and professionally, is that they often recoil at abortion," adding, "So I find a pro-life trend in youth to be quite plausible." She continues, "Second, I think some aging baby boomers are changing their views," adding, "People generally become more conservative and self-reflective with age. Legacies matter. Hindsight is 20/20. Regrets appear." Wetzstein concludes, "My suspicion is that in more than a few cases, baby boomers who were willing to have abortions are not at ease with the idea of losing their grandchildren," adding, "It may be that in the autumn of life, being "pro-life" has a whole new meaning" (Wetzstein, Washington Times, 5/26).

GTCbio Announces Its 4th Annual Assay Development And Screening Technologies Conference Taking Place On June 8-9, 2009 In San Francisco
GTCbio Announces 4th Annual Assay Development and Screening Conference taking place June 8-9, 2009. As compounds derived from high throughput screening increasingly find their way into clinical trials, drug screening has become widely accepted as a critical step in the drug discovery process. After more than a decade of rapid growth, tremendous progress has been made in assay technology, laboratory automation, and informatics. These technological developments have not only facilitated a drastic increase in throughput and efficiency in drug screening, but have also provided novel solutions in other areas of drug discovery and development. As screening has also become prominent in biological research, screening facilities have become increasingly popular in academic institutions.
News of the day
Sandra R. Gordon Wins Golden Trumpet Award From The Publicity Club Of Chicago
At the 50th Annual Trumpet Awards Luncheon at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Sandra R. Gordon received one of the most coveted public relations awards from the Publicity Club of Chicago (PCC). As the director of public relations at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), Sandra was the lead visionary and creative force for their organization"s multi-faceted special event "Seventy-five Years of Orthopaedic Surgery".
Mental Health

New Safety Regulations Drive Greater Need For Res And Expertise At Every Stage Of Clinical Development

According to a report issued, drug safety leaders in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies recognise the need to increase res, either internally or through partnerships, to comply with the safety regulations recently issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMEA). The report - Safety First: The Impact of New Regulations on Clinical Development - is based on a survey of 140 industry safety specialists, including heads of medical, drug safety, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory departments within large and mid-sized pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms. The survey found that more than three-quarters (77%) of respondents believe that new safety regulations have had a considerable impact on the industry as companies implement drug safety regulations throughout the clinical development process. The FDA and EMEA have recently introduced more rigorous safety regulations, with a particular emphasis on post-marketing surveillance, to ensure that medications are monitored for their safety and effectiveness over the long term, across wide populations, and in real-life settings. The survey findings also highlighted regulatory departments in particular as having a pressing need for greater res, with more than half of those surveyed (53%) requiring res within the next six months. "The transition from performing passive post-marketing surveillance to active safety monitoring using Phase IV studies, safety registries and comparative effectiveness programmes, is to ensure that benefit/risk re-assessment continues as safety information on the real-world use of products is revealed. Although initially re intensive, this more rigorous approach to obtaining and analysing post-approval safety data will better ensure the public"s confidence in a product"s true safety profile. The real challenge will be to find better tools and novel approaches to implement the requirements of regulations efficiently and cost effectively," says Dr. Suzanne Gagnon, Chief Medical Officer, ICON Clinical Research. The report was commissioned by ICON plc, a global provider of outd development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, and developed by IMS Health, the world"s leading provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Phase IV activities, including observational trials or "safety registries" that gather data on the use and effectiveness of medications in the real world are expected to be particularly impacted by new regulations, according to the survey. Eighty percent of respondents anticipate the number of Phase IV trials to grow over the next five years, while 58 percent indicated that safety registries increasingly will be used to monitor drug safety at every stage of the clinical trial process. "The move toward greater transparency around drug safety remains a regulatory and political priority worldwide," says Nigel Burrows, Senior Principal, Management Consulting, IMS. "The pharmaceutical industry has and continues to respond to this challenge, both in drug clinical development and commercialisation. These efforts have the potential to go beyond simply satisfying regulatory requirements, leading to more clinically effective and commercially viable advances that improve outcomes and set new standards of care." Survey methodology ICON commissioned IMS Health to conduct a survey that explored global trends in drug safety issues, and to evaluate the impact of recent safety regulations on the industry. A total of 140 people were questioned via a telephone interview, and included the heads of pharmacovigilance, safety and clinical research functions among pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Respondents included 59 from large pharmaceutical companies, 56 from mid-size pharma companies and 25 from biotech companies. All respondents have global or regional-level responsibilities. Analysis and insight are based on interview responses. Confidence levels of 90% were applied to analyze statistically significant differences within the results. About ICON ICON plc is a global provider of outd development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The Company specialises in the strategic development, management and analysis of programs that support clinical development - from compound selection to Phase I-IV clinical studies. With headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, ICON currently, operates from 71 locations in 38 countries and has approximately 7,100 employees. ICON plc


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