Interleukin Genetics Welcomes The Signing Of The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)

Main Category: Genetics
Article Date: 22 May 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (AMEX:ILI), expressed praise for the passage into law of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). The bill was approved unanimously in the Senate on April 25, 2008, and signed into law by President George W. Bush today.

The legislation is intended to ensure that individuals are protected from genetic discrimination from employers and insurance companies by prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to an individual or charging that person higher premiums based solely on a genetic predisposition to developing a disease. The legislation also bans employers from using an employee's genetic information when making hiring, firing, job placement, or promotion decisions.

Lewis H. Bender, Chief Executive Officer of Interleukin Genetics, commented, "We believe GINA is an important piece of legislation for healthcare. An individual is born with a given set of genes and there is nothing anyone can do about which genes they inherit. While certain genetic patterns can be correlated with increased or decreased disease risk, genes are not the entire story. Environmental factors such as lifestyle play a significant role in the onset and progression of most diseases. Knowing one's genetic patterns and associated risks for a given disease can provide valuable information to guide the individual on how best to prevent disease. A combination of monitoring activities, prophylactic treatment and lifestyle changes undertaken by an individual can lead to long and healthy life despite a high genetic risk. GINA will protect people who wish to understand their personal risks better and thus should lead to improved healthcare in the U.S."

Until now, genetic discrimination was only prohibited under loose state and federal regulations, causing consumers to be wary of taking genetic tests or participating in genetic research studies for fear that negative results could be used against them by insurers or employers. With the signing of GINA, consumers should be more willing to have genetic testing that can determine their predisposition to specific diseases; thereby allowing the individual to make lifestyle changes and/or take preventive measures to avoid disease.

About Interleukin Genetics

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (AMEX:ILI) is a genetics-focused personalized health company that develops preventive consumer products and genetic tests for sale to the emerging personalized health market. Focused on the future of health and medicine, Interleukin uses its leading genetics research and scientific capabilities to develop and test innovative preventive and therapeutic products. Interleukin is headquartered in Waltham, MA. For more information about Interleukin, its products and ongoing programs, please visit http://www.ilgenetics.com.

Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking" statements including statements regarding our ability to develop diagnostic, personalized nutritional and therapeutic products to prevent or treat diseases of inflammation and other genetic variations, our ability to screen nutritional compounds for their effects on inflammatory responses and other genetic variations, given specific genetic patterns and our ability to make progress in advancing our core technologies. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risk of market acceptance of our products, the risk of technology and product obsolescence, delays in product development, the performance of our commercial partners, the availability of adequate capital, the actions of our competitors and other competitive risks, and those risks and uncertainties described in our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other documents we file with, or furnish to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation or intention to update these forward-looking statements.

Interleukin Genetics