Xeno comment April 05 final

April 10, 2005 Mary Groesch, Ph.D. Executive Director Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Xenotransplantation Office of Biotechnology Activities Rockledge I, Room 750 Bethesda, MD 20892 Re: Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Xenotransplantation draft reports Dear Dr. Groesch: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS/Academy), representing over 19,000 Board certified orthopaedic surgeons, welcomes the opportunity to comment on the draft reports prepared by the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Xenotransplantation (SACX). These reports are meant to advise the Department of Health and Human Services on both the current state of scientific knowledge concerning xenotransplantation and the issues surrounding informed consent in clinical trials involving xenotransplantation. Notice for comment on these reports was initially published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, March 9, 2005. The Academy holds patient safety as its highest priority, and supports policy that both protects and improves the public’s health. The AAOS shares the concerns of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Xenotransplantation in ensuring that xenotransplantation products are safe for human use. Though much of the research currently being performed is done by private industry, we nonetheless encourage those in the xenotransplantation research community to share findings in this burgeoning field, facilitating development of the global body of ...