In addition to our advocacy priorities, the Society for Women’s Health Research is involved with or monitors a number of issues that either directly or indirectly affect the health of all women. The following issues are all of fundamental importance to women’s health.
Bioterrorism:
The Society is following this important issue to ensure that health research conducted in the field of bioterrorism addresses the differing reactions and responses of women and men to vaccines, treatments, and other products designed to counter bioterrorist threats.
Clinical Trials (SWHR Advocacy Priority):
The Society’s goal for the future of clinical trials is to guarantee the i nclusion of women in all phases of clinical trials with sufficient representation to allow for analysis by sex, ethnicity and other demographics. In addition, efforts will be directed to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that appropriate sex-based analysis is performed in clinical trials so that prescription drug labeling will reflect important differences between women and men .
Cloning:
The Society supports actions aimed at securing a ban on human cloning while protecting important biomedical research. The Society, a member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), has played an active role in encouraging members of Congress to support therapeutic cloning for biomedical research.
Cost Comparativeness:
The Society is monitoring this issue, which examines the study of the comparative effectiveness of competing brand-name drugs in an effort to assist the government and private pharmacy benefit managers to choose among the various drugs that can treat the same condition.
Drug Labeling (SWHR Advocacy Priority):
The Society encourages the establishment of drug-labeling requirements to ensure that drug labels include language about differences experienced by women and men. Further, the Society advocates for research on the comparative effectiveness of drugs with specific emphasis on data analysis by sex.
Funding for Research in Women's Health (SWHR Advocacy Priority):
The Society’s goal is to ensure adequate funding for the governmental offices that support women's health research in National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, HRSA, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and elsewhere.
Genetic Nondiscrimination:
The Society supports a ban on discrimination by health insurers and employers on the basis of predictive genetic information.
Genetic Testing:
The Society supports improving research and guidelines for genetic testing for women with inherited breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility in the interest of women’s health.
Health Disparities:
The Society is monitoring this issue to ensuring that all Americans receive the best possible health care regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or other factors.
HIPAA:
The Society supports efforts towards modifying the HIPAA regulations to preserve clinical research to benefit patients.
Human Subject Protection:
The Society supports increasing human subject protections to alleviate women's fear of participating in clinical trials.
Medical Product Liability and Medical Malpractice:
The Society is working to implement changes in the areas of liability and malpractice to ensure that women’s health research is not harmed by these factors.
Medical Technology and Reimbursement:
The Society is monitoring this issue to ensuring that Americans have access to cutting-edge medical technology and that government and private health plans offer reimbursement for these technologies as they do for other forms of treatment.
Pharmacogenetics:
The Society is monitoring this issue, which concerns the growing trend in pharmaceutical research of study into how genes affect the way people respond to medicines. Some scientists foresee a day of personalized therapy, when specific drugs at specific doses will be offered for different individuals.
Politicization of Science:
SWHR opposes the injection of politics and ideology into scientific research.
Privacy of Medical Information:
The Society supports protecting the privacy of individuals by establishing national requirements for handling medical information while preserving and promoting research.
Reimportation of Drugs:
The Society emphasizes the importance of securing access to safe drugs for women.
Sex-based Biology (SWHR Advocacy Priority):
The Society’s goal is for sex-based biology to be integrated and recognized as an essential element of all research.
Stem Cell Research:
The Society supports new medical research involving stem cells that holds promise for the treatment of human disease and disability.
Tobacco:
The Society supports funding for research on sex differences related to nicotine addiction, smoking cessation and tobacco-related illnesses in addition to supporting public education for women and adolescents on the gender differences in the health effects of smoking.
Women's Health Office Act (WHOA) (SWHR Advocacy Priority):
The Society advocates for the e stablishment of permanent authorization for existing offices, advisors, and positions of women’s health throughout the Department of Health and Human Services through passage of the Women’s Health Office Act.
Last updated: May 4, 2005