Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Stem Cell Trial Resumes This Morning
The California stem cell trial has resumed this morning in Alameda Superior Court. Stem cell chairman Robert Klein is back on the witness stand and is being questioned by attorney David Llewellyn concerning the meaning of Prop. 71. We are filing directly from the courtroom as Klein testifies. Your comments and questions are welcome throughout the day.
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This leaves me a little puzzled.
ReplyDeleteUnder CIRM's interim IP rules for nonprofits, the state would get 25% of any revenue in excess of $500,000. I suppose Bob Klein is technically correct that nobody can guarantee there will ever be revenues that cross the threshold. That's one reason the threshold should be $100,000.
Sure, there are no guarantees about anything in life, but CIRM does appear to have made provisions for a financial return to the state, if there is significant revenue.
And that provision came because of pressure from organizations like the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights and the Legislature.
The non-profit IP rules also provide publicly funded health plans could buy any drugs or therapies at the Medicaid price -- usually the lowest -- and that there be plans in place to make cures available to the uninsured. These provisions were also in response to public input.
CIRM needs to do more to ensure that all Californians have affordable access to Prop 71-funded cures -- specifically by providing the Attorney General can intervene in the event of unreasonable pricing. But the ICOC made a good first step toward ensuring a payback to the state. I'm surprised Bob Klein didn't say so.
John M. Simpson
Stem Cell Project Director
Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights