Seanad debates

Wednesday, 19 November 2003

Stem Cell Research: Statements.

 

With regard to pharmaceutical companies, knowledge knows no boundaries. If a pharmaceutical or bio-pharm company in Ireland becomes aware of research emerging in the United States, China or India, I cannot declare in this House that they will not use it. I do not know how one can stop knowledge from being transferred. In the modern world, knowledge transfer is the order of the day. The fact that something is researched in one place does not limit its use to that particular place – that could not be the case. We are speaking of multinational, global companies. If they carry out research within the company in a particular country, can they confine the resulting products of that knowledge to being developed in that country? I do not believe they can. These are difficult and unclear areas.

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