|
|
|
A study identifies the potential for systemic racism in health technology assessments. Plus, one BIO member company is expanding its beauty empire with a synbio beauty secret. (507 words, 2 minutes, 32 seconds) |
|
|
|
|
Value assessments can exacerbate health inequity, finds new report |
|
|
Traditional models to determine the “value” of new treatments often exacerbate systemic racism and inequity in health care, explains a report released by the Innovation and Value Initiative (IVI) and Sick Cells, a national sickle cell advocacy group.
Health technology assessments (HTAs) are used by Medicare and insurers to decide the value of health innovations, and ultimately determine which will be made available to patients and how much they’ll cost.
But HTAs often drive inequity in health care due to biases in evidence and methods, centralized decision-making authority, and a lack of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation in patient advocacy systemwide.
A clear example is sickle cell disease, which disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx communities, as we’ve reported.
The case study: Sick Cells engaged with the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), which provides independent value assessments, during the 2019 sickle cell review. However, the voice of the patient community was “consistently external to the HTA process,” with systemic biases and centralized decision-making, a lack of understanding of the nuances of systemic racism, and exclusion of the patient community’s recommendations.
“Sick Cells initiated new strategies for engaging with ICER,” says the report—but “taking these steps without also addressing disproportionality in decision authority ultimately led to little measurable impact on the HTA process.”
What can we do about it? The report recommends addressing bias by including BIPOC voices, exploring evidence generation and methods to support equity-centered HTA, and recognizing HTA’s position within wider systems of racism.
Read the report. |
|
|
|
30 Seconds with Rachel King
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why synbio is our best beauty secret
|
|
|
Using synthetic biology to make consumer products more sustainable has proven to be a winning formula for Amyris, the BIO member company with big beauty news in October.
What’s the beauty secret? Amyris uses synthetic biology (synbio) to genetically modify yeast and ferment it with sugarcane to generate squalane, a precise replica of squalene, a skin moisturizer produced naturally by humans (and sharks).
Amyris is expanding its beauty empire, launching two new brands in October: - Stripes, a (peri)menopausal skincare and wellness brand founded in partnership with actress, entrepreneur, and activist Naomi Watts.
- EcoFabulous, a clean, sustainable skincare and makeup brand designed for Gen-Z consumers.
And they’re going global, with three existing celeb-backed brands—Biossance (beloved by Reese Witherspoon), JVN Hair, and Rose Inc.—now available on Sephora’s U.K. website.
A beautiful partnership:Amyris is working with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to support sustainable fishing practices and reduce fishing gear impacts on sharks, as well as identify other potential molecules in the company’s pipeline that could reduce our impact on the oceans and biodiversity.
Beyond beauty: Squalene is also used as an adjuvant in vaccines, and Amyris’s synbio version has been investigated for use in COVID-19 vaccines; the company’s work with sugarcane also led to the development of a synbio sugar substitute.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
President Biden’s Wednesday: Viewing workforce training demonstrations by labor unions and leading companies at the White House this afternoon, then giving remarks (at 2:40 PM ET) on how to strengthen the infrastructure talent pipeline with support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Recess. |
|
|
|
|
