E-newsletters

Issue No. 7 - July 2008

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We hope you find this interesting and informative. If you have any feedback about the content of this newsletter, please email hfeaeupdate@hfea.gov.uk 
 

News from the HFEA

Publication of pregnancy data

The early pregnancy data successfully went live, as planned on 1 July 2008. We´d like to thank centres for their hard work in preparing for the publication of the data.

The early pregnancy data is now available to view alongside the live birth data on the ´Find a clinic´ section of the HFEA website.

Visit Find a clinic

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New Hybrid licence approved

HFEA Licence Committee has approved an application from the Clinical Sciences Research Institute, University of Warwick for the creation of hybrid embryos.

The centre has been offered a 12 month licence with effect from 1 July.

The Licence Committee was satisfied that the research was permissible within the law and met the criteria required by the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act.

Read more about the licence

Policy and Guidance

HFE bill on hold

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill was scheduled to have both the report stage and third reading on 14 July 2008.

Due to parliamentary timetable changes, these stages of the Bill´s passage through the House of Commons have been postponed, and will now occur some time in the autumn. No firm dates have been scheduled as yet.

The HFEA continues to base its Bill implementation planning on a timetable that assumes Royal Assent in the autumn and aims for a new (8th edition) Code of Practice launch in October 2009.

Updates to the Bill´s timetable and further amendments to be debated at these stages will continue to be posted in this newsletter.

Find out more on parliament.uk

News from the sector

Oneatatime website launch

On the 27June oneatatime.org.uk was launched. It has been developed as part of the professionally-led national strategy on minimising multiple pregnancies following fertility treatment.

The site contains information aimed at patients and professionals and includes special features such as quotes from experts in the field and patients' own experiences with multiple pregnancy.

Visit Oneatatime.org.uk

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Up and coming HFEA Annual Conference

The HFEA Annual Conference, ´Working Together for the new Act´ will be held on 13 October 2008 at the Royal College of Surgeons, London.

Themes covered during this year´s conference will be

• the future of regulation
• new scientific developments
• information for the sector and patients
• implementing the opening of the HFEA Register.

Key note speakers will include Professor Lisa Jardine CBE, Dawn Primarolo, CMO (Minister of State), Sir Alan Moses, Justice of Appeal, Professor Julia Black LSE, Robin Lovell-Badge and Sir Muir Gray.

To register for free, send your contact details to annualconference@hfea.gov.uk 

ESHRE Conference

A small number of HFEA representatives, including HFEA Chair Lisa Jardine, recently attended this year´s ESHRE fertility conference in Barcelona.

The HFEA main role was to host the annual meeting of the HFEA´s international Horizon Scanning Panel where experts from across the world come together to predict and discuss forthcoming advances in fertility treatment and embryo research.

Staff also attended conference sessions to keep up-to-date with the latest developments, to speak to members of the sector and to deal with requests from the media at the conference.

Read more about the conference on the ESHRE website

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Sperm donation in the UK

Recently at the HFEA Open Authority meeting, members discussed the HFEA response to the British Fertility Society (BFS) report on sperm donation in the UK.

Read the draft report (PDF)

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