Briefly Noted

Securing America�s Northern Border
Thanks to a recent decision by a federal judge in Oklahoma, inexpensive prescription drugs from Canada will remain contraband in the United States. Undeterred, the governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, has vowed to continue his quest for a low-cost prescription supplier from across his state�s northern border, setting up a showdown with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Department of Justice, and Drug Enforcement Administration over what he calls a U.S. medicine industry stranglehold on health care. Meanwhile, the Canadian regulatory agency has said it�s not equipped to monitor exports to the United States.

Privacy Genes
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill that would bar corporations and insurers from denying health care benefits to someone simply because the person�s genetic profiles might be problematic. This is a victory for genetic privacy, but does it go far enough? After all, without so much as a strand of DNA information, insurers already deny or limit coverage to people with preëxisting medical conditions.

News Analysis

Drug Money

High Court Decision

Gilmartin�s Gadfly

Clone on the Range

New Rx for Genomic Medicine

Fishing Downstream

Fighting AIDS

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