More on delivery of samples.

Concerning biobanks in private and public health care, those responsible for the administration of the biobank decide whether to hand out samples to, for instance, researchers or not.
Their decision may be tried by the National Board of Health and Welfare, but its decision is not legally binding. Thus, the health care provider is allowed but is under no obligation to grant access to biobanks material. Samples that are handed out should normally be coded and the decision to grant access to them is to be reported to the National Board of Health and Welfare within one month’s time.

Samples that originate from a biobank administrated by a health care provider, but that have been sent on to, for instance, a medical company or a research institue, may as a rule not be shared with or given to another party. There are, however, some exceptions to this rule. Biological samples from a biobank which objective is medical treatment may be sent to another health care provider for analysis or to obtain a statement. Further, material in a biobank with research as an objective may be sent to another unit for research. Finally, samples that have been sent to a company that runs clinical trials for medical products, and that stores the samples, may be sent for analysis to another unit within the company or to another company with which there is a contract.

Samples may be sent abroad under all these circumstances – they should then be coded and be destroyed or returned when they are no longer needed for the purpose for which they were handed out.