House
Resolution
6
-
Introduced
HOUSE
RESOLUTION
NO.
6
BY
A.
MEYER
A
Resolution
designating
the
month
of
March,
annually,
1
as
Precision
Medicine
and
Biomarker
Testing
2
Awareness
Month.
3
WHEREAS,
precision
medicine,
which
is
also
called
4
personalized
health
care
or
individualized
medicine,
is
5
an
evolving
field
in
which
health
care
providers
use
an
6
analysis
of
a
patient’s
biospecimen,
known
as
biomarker
7
testing,
to
determine
which
medical
treatments
will
8
work
best
for
each
patient;
and
9
WHEREAS,
by
combining
the
data
from
biomarker
10
testing
with
an
individual’s
medical
history,
11
circumstances,
and
values,
health
care
providers
can
12
direct
a
patient
to
targeted
treatment,
which
benefits
13
both
patients
and
the
overall
health
care
system;
and
14
WHEREAS,
the
field
of
precision
medicine
holds
great
15
promise
in
ensuring
the
delivery
of
the
right
treatment
16
to
the
right
patient
at
the
right
time;
and
17
WHEREAS,
60
percent
of
treatments
in
preclinical
18
development
rely
on
biomarker
data;
and
19
WHEREAS,
biomedicine
and
the
understanding
of
the
20
characteristics
of
a
patient’s
disease
that
informs
21
precision
medicine
is
evolving
rapidly;
and
22
WHEREAS,
health
care
providers
are
increasingly
23
gaining
access
to
new
technologies,
such
as
biomarker
24
testing,
that
can
help
identify
gene
mutations,
25
alterations,
and
protein
expressions
specific
to
26
individual
patients;
and
27
WHEREAS,
health
outcomes
are
improved
through
the
28
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use
of
precision
medicine,
including,
for
example,
1
patients
with
certain
types
of
lung
cancer
who
received
2
biomarker
testing
resulting
in
a
28
percent
reduction
3
in
mortality;
and
4
WHEREAS,
the
National
Academy
of
Medicine
considers
5
biomarker
testing
to
be
key
to
unlocking
the
promise
of
6
personalized
health
care;
and
7
WHEREAS,
biomarker
testing
is
available
for
an
8
ever-increasing
range
of
conditions
and
diseases,
but
9
patient
access
to
these
tests
is
not
keeping
pace
with
10
the
rate
of
innovation;
and
11
WHEREAS,
a
lack
of
awareness
among
providers
12
and
patients
is
preventing
the
effective
adoption
13
and
integration
of
biomarker
testing
into
precision
14
medicine;
and
15
WHEREAS,
appropriate
awareness
and
education
about
16
the
ways
biomarker
testing
can
be
used
to
support
the
17
diagnosis,
treatment,
and
monitoring
of
patients
in
a
18
personalized
way
is
needed;
and
19
WHEREAS,
the
American
Cancer
Society/Cancer
Action
20
Network
and
the
Iowa
Biotechnology
Association,
as
well
21
as
other
relevant
partners,
are
seeking
to
promote
22
awareness,
education,
and
action
related
to
improving
23
access
to
biomarker
testing;
NOW
THEREFORE,
24
BE
IT
RESOLVED
BY
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES,
That
25
the
Iowa
House
of
Representatives
designates
the
month
26
of
March,
annually,
as
Precision
Medicine
and
Biomarker
27
Testing
Awareness
Month
to
raise
awareness,
encourage
28
education,
and
improve
understanding
of
the
ways
29
biomarker
testing
can
be
used
to
support
diagnosis,
30
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6
treatment,
and
monitoring
of
patients
in
a
personalized
1
way
and
to
emphasize
the
importance
of
ensuring
access
2
to
these
promising
technologies.
3
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