Posted by Ellen on November 01, 2002 at 05:33:55:
Diabetes Organizations Applaud Release of Congressional Report
U.S. Newswire
31 Oct 10:20
Diabetes Organizations Applaud Release of New Congressional
Report; Points to Research Funding Shortfalls
To: National Desk, Medical and Science reporters
Contact: Bronwyn Reynolds of the American Diabetes Association,
703-549-1500;
or Karen Arthur of the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation, 212-479-7553
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The American Diabetes
Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, two of
the nation's leading diabetes research and advocacy organizations,
today applauded the National Institutes of Health for its work on
their report entitled "Conquering Diabetes: Highlights of Program
Efforts, Research Advances, and Opportunities." The report, sent to
Congress last week, was a follow-up to the first Diabetes Research
Working Group (DRWG) report issued in 1999.
Diabetes -- referred to as the "epidemic of our time" by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- spares no one,
attacking people of every age and racial background. Over 2,700
Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every day and the disease
kills 1 American every 3 minutes.
The 2002 "Conquering Diabetes" report highlights the progress
that has been made in diabetes research since the DRWG report in
1999, and also looks ahead to future challenges and opportunities.
The new "Conquering Diabetes" report identifies a series of
expanded research opportunities that, if invested in, will help
prevent and cure diabetes and find new treatments for the care of
those with the disease.
The original DRWG report called for a federal appropriation of
$1.5 billion for diabetes research in fiscal year 2003; the
National Institutes of Health estimates that it will allocate $845
million toward research that year. This nearly 50 percent
shortfall of what the original DRWG report recommended has meant
that diabetes researchers have been unable to pursue many of the
most promising research avenues necessary to find a cure, according
to both organizations. The original report made funding
recommendations based on the clear opportunities presenting
themselves in the research enterprise. Despite the outline
presented in 1999, research funding has not met the DRWG's goal and
the prevalence of diabetes continues to rocket skyward.
The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading
voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research,
information and advocacy. For more information, please call the
American Diabetes Association at 800-DIABETES (800-342-2383) or
visit http://www.diabetes.org.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the world's leading
nonprofit, non-governmental funder of diabetes research, was
founded in 1970 by the parents of children with juvenile diabetes
-- a disease which strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin
dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating
complications. For more information, visit the Web site at
http://www.jdrf.org, or call 1-800-533-CURE.
http://www.usnewswire.com
-0-
/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
10/31 10:20
Copyright 2002, U.S. Newswire