When it comes to researching new treatments, not all genders are examined equally, a problem a bipartisan House bill wants to fix.
Reps. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., reintroduced a bill Tuesday that would require federal agencies to include female animals, tissues and cells in basic medical research.
The bill directs the National Institutes of Health to study female subjects and analyze sex differences in the research it funds. It also calls for the Food and Drug Administration to guarantee clinical drug trials for expedited drug products to sufficiently determine they are safe and effective for both genders.
“‘Mad Men’ may be ending soon, but medical research is still stuck in the ’60s,” Cooper said in a statement. “Women deserve good medicine just as men do. Science needs to serve both men and women.”
Cooper cited 2014 research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital that found research is sex-neutral, gender-neutral or skewed to male physiology. This puts women at risk for incorrect diagnoses, misinformed treatment or sickness and death, the hospital said.
The lawmaker also used the sleep drug Ambien as an example, noting that the initial recommended dosage was double what it should have been for women.
