The U.S. Supreme Court v Myriad Genetics and How It Impacts You

On June 13th, the Supreme Court ruled that human genes cannot be patented because they are products of nature. This was a big win for women at heightened risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.
Until the ruling, Myriad Genetics was the only company that could offer BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 tests. Women and men who have the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene tend to have a heightened risk of breast and ovarian cancer. As the only company able to offer the tests, Myriad Genetics was charging patients more than $3,000 for this potentially life-saving test, which was very prohibitive for women of lower income and women in underserved communities.

This ruling has positive implications for scientific research, by enabling researchers to work to create diagnostics at a lower price tag, and enabling women at heightened risk to make informed decisions about their care. The ruling will also impact women diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age, women with triple negative breast cancer, African American women, and women of Ashkenazi Jewish decent, groups that tend to have higher incidences of BRCA mutations.

Tigerlily Foundation looks forward to being able to continue its work supporting young women affected by breast cancer. We are excited about this ruling and the positive benefits for men and women everywhere.