Tandem mass spectrometry
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Pediatrix Medical Group's patent protections "could undermine the public health nature of newborn screening," Johns Hopkins University bioethicist Neil Holtzman, MD, warns in an editorial in the Nov. 19 issue of JAMA. "By charging royalties, Pediatrix could force nonprofit laboratories to either raise their prices or abandon tandem mass spectrometry," he states, noting that in Maryland the company offers screening at a lower price than the public program. Currently, Pediatrix reports positive test results to Maryland's health department, but in the future, the firm could refer infants to physicians within its own practice group, Holtzman cautions. In May, Pediatrix acquired privately held newborn screening lab Neo Gen Screening for $34 mil. (1"The Gray Sheet" May 19, 2003, p. 12)...