May 14 P&P Quick Takes: German council weighs in on germline editing; plus Gilead’s Truvada, U.K. R&D tax

German committee outlines recs for human germline editing
The German Ethics Council took a positive stand towards eventual use of germline editing, with a report that starts to map a path forward; however, the council noted that "the risks would have to be reduced to an acceptable level" before any intervention is carried out. Until that is achieved, the council supports the idea of an international moratorium. The council recommended establishing an international institution to develop human germline intervention standards and to address medical and social implications. The report comes in the wake of global outrage over Chinese scientist He Jiankui's November announcement that he had used CRISPR on human embryos, leading to the birth of the first two gene edited babies (see "China’s Germline Growing Pain"; "Chinese Bioethicists Call for ‘Reboot’ of Regulations Following CRISPR Babies").

House inquiry into price of Gilead's Truvada for PrEP
Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) CEO Daniel O'Day will testify about the price of the HIV prevention drug Truvada emtricitabine/tenofovir before the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform at a hearing Thursday. Gilead said last week it will donate up to 2.4 million bottles of Truvada per year to the CDC...