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House Resolution 6 - Introduced
An Act 1designating the month of March, annually,
2as Precision Medicine and Biomarker Testing
3Awareness Month.
4WHEREAS, precision medicine, which is also called
5personalized health care or individualized medicine, is
6an evolving field in which health care providers use an
7analysis of a patient’s biospecimen, known as biomarker
8testing, to determine which medical treatments will
9work best for each patient;and
10WHEREAS, by combining the data from biomarker
11testing with an individual’s medical history,
12circumstances, and values, health care providers can
13direct a patient to targeted treatment, which benefits
14both patients and the overall health care system;and
15WHEREAS, the field of precision medicine holds great
16promise in ensuring the delivery of the right treatment
17to the right patient at the right time;and
18WHEREAS, 60 percent of treatments in preclinical
19development rely on biomarker data;and
20WHEREAS, biomedicine and the understanding of the
21characteristics of a patient’s disease that informs
22precision medicine is evolving rapidly;and
23WHEREAS, health care providers are increasingly
24gaining access to new technologies, such as biomarker
25testing, that can help identify gene mutations,
26alterations, and protein expressions specific to
27individual patients;and
28WHEREAS, health outcomes are improved through the
-1-1use of precision medicine, including, for example,
2patients with certain types of lung cancer who received
3biomarker testing resulting in a 28 percent reduction
4in mortality;and
5WHEREAS, the National Academy of Medicine considers
6biomarker testing to be key to unlocking the promise of
7personalized health care;and
8WHEREAS, biomarker testing is available for an
9ever-increasing range of conditions and diseases, but
10patient access to these tests is not keeping pace with
11the rate of innovation;and
12WHEREAS, a lack of awareness among providers
13and patients is preventing the effective adoption
14and integration of biomarker testing into precision
15medicine;and
16WHEREAS, appropriate awareness and education about
17the ways biomarker testing can be used to support the
18diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of patients in a
19personalized way is needed;and
20WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society/Cancer Action
21Network and the Iowa Biotechnology Association, as well
22as other relevant partners, are seeking to promote
23awareness, education, and action related to improving
24access to biomarker testing;NOW THEREFORE,
25BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That
26the Iowa House of Representatives designates the month
27of March, annually, as Precision Medicine and Biomarker
28Testing Awareness Month to raise awareness, encourage
29education, and improve understanding of the ways
30biomarker testing can be used to support diagnosis,
-2-1treatment, and monitoring of patients in a personalized
2way and to emphasize the importance of ensuring access
3to these promising technologies.
-3-pf/rh
An Act 1designating the month of March, annually,
2as Precision Medicine and Biomarker Testing
3Awareness Month.
4WHEREAS, precision medicine, which is also called
5personalized health care or individualized medicine, is
6an evolving field in which health care providers use an
7analysis of a patient’s biospecimen, known as biomarker
8testing, to determine which medical treatments will
9work best for each patient;and
10WHEREAS, by combining the data from biomarker
11testing with an individual’s medical history,
12circumstances, and values, health care providers can
13direct a patient to targeted treatment, which benefits
14both patients and the overall health care system;and
15WHEREAS, the field of precision medicine holds great
16promise in ensuring the delivery of the right treatment
17to the right patient at the right time;and
18WHEREAS, 60 percent of treatments in preclinical
19development rely on biomarker data;and
20WHEREAS, biomedicine and the understanding of the
21characteristics of a patient’s disease that informs
22precision medicine is evolving rapidly;and
23WHEREAS, health care providers are increasingly
24gaining access to new technologies, such as biomarker
25testing, that can help identify gene mutations,
26alterations, and protein expressions specific to
27individual patients;and
28WHEREAS, health outcomes are improved through the
-1-1use of precision medicine, including, for example,
2patients with certain types of lung cancer who received
3biomarker testing resulting in a 28 percent reduction
4in mortality;and
5WHEREAS, the National Academy of Medicine considers
6biomarker testing to be key to unlocking the promise of
7personalized health care;and
8WHEREAS, biomarker testing is available for an
9ever-increasing range of conditions and diseases, but
10patient access to these tests is not keeping pace with
11the rate of innovation;and
12WHEREAS, a lack of awareness among providers
13and patients is preventing the effective adoption
14and integration of biomarker testing into precision
15medicine;and
16WHEREAS, appropriate awareness and education about
17the ways biomarker testing can be used to support the
18diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of patients in a
19personalized way is needed;and
20WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society/Cancer Action
21Network and the Iowa Biotechnology Association, as well
22as other relevant partners, are seeking to promote
23awareness, education, and action related to improving
24access to biomarker testing;NOW THEREFORE,
25BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That
26the Iowa House of Representatives designates the month
27of March, annually, as Precision Medicine and Biomarker
28Testing Awareness Month to raise awareness, encourage
29education, and improve understanding of the ways
30biomarker testing can be used to support diagnosis,
-2-1treatment, and monitoring of patients in a personalized
2way and to emphasize the importance of ensuring access
3to these promising technologies.
-3-pf/rh