Rare diseases collectively affect millions of Americans of all ages, but developing drugs and medical devices to prevent, diagnose, and treat these conditions is challenging. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends implementing an integrated national strategy to promote rare diseases research and product development.
Consumer out-of-court redress in the European Union is experiencing a significant transformation; indeed the current changes are the most important that have occurred in the history of the EU. This is due to the recent implementation of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Directive 2013/11/EU and the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Regulation (EU) 2013/524. The Directive ensures the availability of quality ADR schemes and sets information obligations on businesses, and the Regulation enables the resolution of consumer disputes through a pan European ODR platform. The New Regulatory Framework for Consumer Dispute Resolution examines the impact of the new EU law in the field of consumer redress. Part I of the volume examines the new European legal framework and the main methods of consumer redress, including mediation, arbitration, and ombudsman schemes. Part II analyses the implementation of the ADR Directive in nine Member States with very different legal cultures in consumer redress, namely: Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK, as well as the distinct approach taken in the US. Part III evaluates new trends in consumer ADR (CDR) by identifying best practices and looking at future trends in the field. In particular, it offers a vision of the future of CDR which is more than a mere dispute resolution tool, it poses a model on dispute system design for CDR, it examines the challenges of cross-border disputes, it proposes a strategy to promote mediation, and it identifies good practices of CDR and collective redress. The book concludes by calling for the mandatory participation of traders in CDR.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for assuring that medical devices are safe and effective before they go on the market. As part of its assessment of FDA's premarket clearance process for medical devices, the IOM held a workshop June 14-15 to discuss how to best balance patient safety and technological innovation. This document summarizes the workshop.
Genetic-based animal biotechnology has produced new food and pharmaceutical products and promises many more advances to benefit humankind. These exciting prospects are accompanied by considerable unease, however, about matters such as safety and ethics. This book identifies science-based and policy-related concerns about animal biotechnologyâ€"key issues that must be resolved before the new breakthroughs can reach their potential. The book includes a short history of the field and provides understandable definitions of terms like cloning. Looking at technologies on the near horizon, the authors discuss what we know and what we fear about their effectsâ€"the inadvertent release of dangerous microorganisms, the safety of products derived from biotechnology, the impact of genetically engineered animals on their environment. In addition to these concerns, the book explores animal welfare concerns, and our societal and institutional capacity to manage and regulate the technology and its products. This accessible volume will be important to everyone interested in the implications of the use of animal biotechnology.
The convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in blockchain creates one of the world’s most reliable technology-enabled decision-making systems that is virtually tamper-proof and provides solid insights and decisions. The integration of AI and Blockchain affects many aspects from food supply chain logistics and healthcare record sharing to media royalties and financial security. It is imperative that regulatory standards are emphasized in order to support positive outcomes from the integration of AI in blockchain technology. Regulatory Aspects of Artificial Intelligence on Blockchain provides relevant legal and security frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in blockchain and AI. Through the latest research and standards, the book identifies and offers solutions for overcoming legal consequences that pertain to the application of AI into the blockchain system, especially concerning the usage of smart contracts. The chapters, while investigating the legal and security issues associated with these applications, also include topics such as smart contacts, network vulnerability, cryptocurrency, machine learning, and more. This book is essential for technologists, security analysts, legal specialists, privacy and data security practitioners, IT consultants, standardization professionals, researchers, academicians, and students interested in blockchain and AI from a legal and security viewpoint.
Lee s book is a valuable addition to the literature for those wishing to broaden their understanding of the range of legal disciplines involved in GMO regulation. Tracey Epps, European Review of Agricultural Economics Maria Lee s work is a successful attempt to illustrate the big legal issues behind the regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This study, which is thorough and well documented, is particularly welcomed in view of the need for a dialogue between different legal specialisms for which GMOs are a relevant area of research. . . [The] book provides a very interesting and insightful examination of the legal problems raised by GMOs. I would warmly recommend its reading to academics and practitioners who are interested in European risk regulation law, environmental law, biotechnology and trade law. Sara Poli, European Law Review Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are an extraordinary innovation. They raise great expectations of economic prosperity and improved capacity to address pressing problems of poverty and environmental degradation, whilst simultaneously raising great concerns about the type of social and physical world they promise. Finding space in regulation to consider the full range of issues provoked by GMOs is a huge challenge. This book explores the EU s elaborate regulatory framework for GMOs, which extends far beyond the process of their authorisation (or not) for the EU market, embracing disparate legal disciplines including intellectual property, consumer protection and civil liability. The regulation of GMOs also highlights questions of EU legitimacy in a context of multi-level governance, both internally towards national and local government, and externally in a world where technologies and their regulation have global impacts. This book will be of interest to academics and students in both law and social sciences, as well as practising lawyers and policy makers. It addresses questions that are significant for those involved in environmental or food issues, as well as specialists in GMOs.
The EPA commissioned The National Academies to provide advice on the vexing question of whether and, if so, under what circumstances EPA should accept and consider intentional human dosing studies conducted by companies or other sources outside the agency (so-called third parties) to gather evidence relating to the risks of a chemical or the conditions under which exposure to it could be judged safe. This report recommends that such studies be conducted and used for regulatory purposes only if all of several strict conditions are met, including the following: The study is necessary and scientifically valid, meaning that it addresses an important regulatory question that can't be answered with animal studies or nondosing human studies; The societal benefits of the study outweigh any anticipated risks to participants. At no time, even when benefits beyond improved regulation exist, can a human dosing study be justified that is anticipated to cause lasting harm to study participants; and All recognized ethical standards and procedures for protecting the interests of study participants are observed. In addition, EPA should establish a Human Studies Review Board (HSRB) to evaluate all human dosing studiesâ€"both at the beginning and upon completion of the experimentsâ€"if they are carried out with the intent of affecting the agency's policy-making.
In recent decades, advances in biomedical research have helped save or lengthen the lives of children around the world. With improved therapies, child and adolescent mortality rates have decreased significantly in the last half century. Despite these advances, pediatricians and others argue that children have not shared equally with adults in biomedical advances. Even though we want children to benefit from the dramatic and accelerating rate of progress in medical care that has been fueled by scientific research, we do not want to place children at risk of being harmed by participating in clinical studies. Ethical Conduct of Clinical Research Involving Children considers the necessities and challenges of this type of research and reviews the ethical and legal standards for conducting it. It also considers problems with the interpretation and application of these standards and conduct, concluding that while children should not be excluded from potentially beneficial clinical studies, some research that is ethically permissible for adults is not acceptable for children, who usually do not have the legal capacity or maturity to make informed decisions about research participation. The book looks at the need for appropriate pediatric expertise at all stages of the design, review, and conduct of a research project to effectively implement policies to protect children. It argues persuasively that a robust system for protecting human research participants in general is a necessary foundation for protecting child research participants in particular.