Senate committee advances bill to add Duchenne muscular dystrophy to Georgia newborn screening panel

The Senate Health Care Services Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 101, a proposal to add Duchenne muscular dystrophy to Georgia’s newborn screening panel, after testimony from clinicians, Department of Public Health officials and parents who said earlier diagnosis would permit earlier treatment and family planning.

Senator Randy Robertson, sponsor of the measure, told the committee that Duchenne is ‘‘100% fatal’’ without intervention and said adding the test would allow families to learn a diagnosis days after birth instead of years later. ‘‘We have the equipment. All we need is the permission,’’ Robertson said, urging the panel to approve the measure.

The measure would direct the department to promulgate rules creating a newborn screening system that includes screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Megan Andrews, assistant commissioner for policy at the Georgia Department of Public Health, said DPH is not opposed to…