White House details 'precision medicine' initiative

Scientists who mapped the human genome have been waiting a dozen years to do something with their findings. That is why many health care practitioners cheered when they heard President Barack Obama mention "precision medicine" among the goals for his administration during his State of the Union Address. Health care overall did not receive much a spotlight during the speech, but personalized medicine did. Details about the plan emerged during a White House event Friday morning. "It comes at a critical moment in time when we have huge opportunities before us," Dr. Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said Thursday in a call with reporters.