BIO opposes Brat amendment regarding NIH funding.
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Press Release Summary:
BIO issued statement regarding an amendment to the 21st Century Cures Initiative legislation filed by Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) that would convert mandatory funding for the National Institutes of Health to discretionary spending. According to Jim Greenwood, BIO President and CEO, BIO supports provisions in 21st Century Cures to provide mandatory funding for nation’s biomedical research enterprise by supporting consistent and dependable growth in NIH funding.
Original Press Release:
BIO Opposes Brat Amendment to Make Mandatory NIH Funding Discretionary
WASHINGTON – Today, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) issued the following statement regarding an amendment to the 21st Century Cures Initiative legislation filed by Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) that would convert the mandatory funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to discretionary spending.
“The NIH is the nation’s premier biomedical research agency. The work it conducts and supports provides a critical foundation for further biomedical investment and innovation in both the public and private sectors.”
The following can be attributed to Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of BIO:
“BIO supports the provisions in 21st Century Cures to provide mandatory funding for the nation’s biomedical research enterprise by supporting consistent and dependable growth in NIH funding.
“The NIH is the nation’s premier biomedical research agency. The work it conducts and supports provides a critical foundation for further biomedical investment and innovation in both the public and private sectors.
“NIH funding over the past decade has failed to keep pace with biomedical research inflation and, as a result, the success rate of meritorious research proposals has fallen dramatically, which has a long-lasting impact on the development of breakthrough treatments and cures for patients suffering from life-threatening and debilitating disease.
“Consistent sustainable growth in NIH funding is critical to knowledge development that contributes to advancing better health for all Americans. The experiences of the past decade have demonstrated the problems caused by cyclical periods of rapid funding growth followed by periods of stagnation.
“Over many years, Congress wisely has supported the NIH and increased funding for its essential mission. In return, American life expectancy has increased by more than six years, and NIH-funded discoveries have contributed to new and more effective therapies, vaccines, and diagnostics, and treatments for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of common and rare diseases that affect Americans and American families all over our country. Thanks to the work of NIH and our thriving biomedical research enterprise, we lead the world in helping people live longer, better, healthier lives.
“Investing in research now is a critical step toward curing diseases that are threatening the lives of our loved ones and costing the US health care system trillions of dollars in entitlement spending.”
Since the doubling of the budget between 1998 and 2003, NIH funding has failed to keep pace with inflation and the success rate of research proposals has fallen to one in ten promising proposals, which is down compared to one in three in 2003.
BIO supports the 21st Century Cures bill overall; our latest statement on the bill can be found here.
About BIO
BIO is the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIOtechNOW is BIO's blog chronicling “innovations transforming our world” and the BIO Newsletter is the organization’s bi-weekly email newsletter. Subscribe to the BIO Newsletter.
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Contacts
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
Tracy Cooley, APR
202-312-9274
Web: www.bio.org
Blog: www.biotech-now.org
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