Issue 1

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Issue No. 1 - December 2007

This is the first edition of the HFEA's monthly e-newsletter. We plan to keep you up-to-date with news, policy and guidance from the HFEA and other news from around the sector.

If you have colleagues or friends who would like to read this newsletter, ask them to sign up at www.hfea.gov.uk/e-updates

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

Updated 'Find a clinic'
The online 'Find a clinic' search continues to attract greater numbers of visitors with well over 1 million page views received last year.

The latest full clinic outcome data for the year 2005 launched last week shows an increase in treatment activity, increased multiple births and higher overall live birth rates. Read more
 
Our Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system with clinics will make it possible for early pregnancy rate data from treatments provided in the first half of 2007 to be published by the HFEA early in the new year.

Measures to cut multiple birth rates
Work has begun on bringing together a professionally-led national strategy on how to reduce the problems of multiple births following assisted conception treatment.

The HFEA is hosting a meeting of professional bodies and other key stakeholders on 14 December to decide how best to proceed, following the HFEA Chair's speech to the British Fertility Society (BFS). Find out more and read the Chair's speech to the BFS

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill
The HFE Bill is currently going through Parliament and has completed its first key step with the end of the committee stage in the House of Lords on 12 December.

The Bill updates current regulation of assisted reproduction and embryo research to reflect developments in technology and society's attitudes. Find out more about the changes to the Bill

Licensing cytoplasmic hybrid embryo research

The HFEA Licence Committee is considering two applications from Kings College London and the University of Newcastle. This follows the Authority decision in September 2007 in principle to consider applications for cytoplasmic embryo research.

We will keep you updated on the progress via the HFEA website and future e-newsletters.

Policy and Guidance


HFEA Code of Practice
An update to the Code of Practice 7th edition has been issued by the HFEA. The HFEA Code sets out standards for  and provides guidance to clinics about the proper conduct of HFEA licensed activities.

This update does not have major policy changes but contains a number of clarifications to make the guidance more explicit about its requirements. Read the updates

IVM update
The HFEA's Regulation Committee has ruled that in vitro maturation of eggs (IVM) is not a separately licensable procedure under current legislation, so clinics wishing to use IVM do not have to be separately licensed to do this before they start.
Read the Chair's Letter CH(07)04 to find out about the requirements for clinics wishing to do IVM.

HFEA Annual review meeting 2007
The HFEA held its Annual Review Meeting on 6 December.

The focus of the meeting was how the sector could move forward and better measure the performance of licensed centres. Also discussed was how this would be communicated effectively to all those interested in fertility treatment and embryo research.

More than 70 clinicians, scientists, patient representatives, policy-makers and journalists attended the meeting in Westminster, Central London. Download the presentations from the event

News from the sector

European Coding Consultation
Draft proposals for a single European coding system for human tissues and cells have been published by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN).

The proposals have the potential to effect how all tissues and cells are handled in HFEA-licensed centres. Read more 


HFEA Chief Executive to speak at ACE conference
Alan Doran, the HFEA's interim Chief Executive, will make a keynote speech at the Association of Clinical Embryologists (ACE) annual conference on 3 January 2008. Find out more about the event

 

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 December 2007 (88 Kb)

Last updated: 08 March 2008