European Parliament votes to regulate advanced therapies
The European Parliament's health and environment committee has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a draft regulation on advanced therapies.
The European Parliament's health and environment committee has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a draft regulation on advanced therapies.
In the final vote, 54 committee members voted in favour, with three against and six abstentions. The next stage for the draft is discussion in a plenary Parliament session, which will probably take place in March.
The regulation, which aims to create a legislative framework for treatments based on genes, cells and tissues, is controversial for ethical reasons. By voting massively in favour of the regulation, committee members have shown they want to move this dossier forward, despite earlier concerns expressed by some that it would be held up again due to ethical concerns.
The committee had initially surprised everyone by voting against the regulation in September 2006. It is extremely rare for parliamentary committees to reject a draft modified with the agreement of its rapporteur. Following this rejection, Slovak rapporteur Miroslav Mikolasik (EPP-ED) had had to revise the text. But since then, new amendments have been filed, giving rise to concern that the committee would again vote against the regulation.
One of the amendments that gave rise to debate was rejected by 24 in favour and 39 against. This amendment said in substance that the regulation did not harmonise all aspects of national legislation in advanced therapies and that restrictions could consequently be maintained. Parliamentarians who opposed this amendment said it amounted to banning certain kinds of research.