PMC Endorses Democratic and Republican Positions on Personalized Medicine

The Personalized Medicine coalition has applauded statements issued by both the Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns endorsing the principles of personalized medicine and its role in improving healthcare.

The Republican platform on health care encourages physicians "to personalize and coordinate their care to ensure [that patients] receive the right treatment with the right doctor at the right time."

In its "plan to combat cancer," building upon Senator Obama's Genomics and Personalized Medicine Act, the Obama-Biden campaign issued a statement on September 2, 2008, which pledged "to support advances in personalized medicine to help ensure early detection and treatment of cancer and other diseases."

The PMC expresses support for these statements, and the bipartisan commitment they represent to advance the development and adoption of personalized medicine.

The PMC has worked both with Senator Obama on crafting his bill to advance personalized medicine and with Secretary Leavitt on his personalized health care initiative at the Department of Health and Human Services.

"We are pleased that both parties recognize the important role of medical innovation, and in particular the value of personalized medicine, in helping us address our healthcare challenges, including improving health and containing total healthcare costs," said Edward Abrahams, Executive Director of the Personalized Medicine Coalition.

The Personalized Medicine Coalition said that it looks forward to working with both parties on healthcare policies that support the development and adoption of personalized medicine, and is pleased that while other issues may divide the candidates, their commitment to progress through innovation in personalized medicine unites them.