July 2002 newsletter
 

Goal and Objectives

Our goal is to mobilize public support for cancer research so that we can accelerate the nation’s progress toward the prevention and cure of cancer. Toward that end, our objectives are to:

  • Demonstrate the benefits of cancer research;
  • Illustrate the need for answers to this terrible disease; and
  • Explain the investment needed for the task ahead.

 
A.

 Public Private Partnership Launched

On Monday, July 22, 2002 Friends of Cancer Research in conjunction with the Association of American Cancer Institutes, NCI and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health announced a groundbreaking new collaboration in cancer research with Aventis, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Eli-Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis.  This unique public-private partnership will make almost $6 million available to NCI-funded cancer centers interested in designing new approaches to overcoming the barriers to early clinical trials.

The event was held in Wilson Hall on the NIH campus to a standing room only crowd. We were fortunate to have Secretary Tommy Thompson in attendance to speak about the importance of this unique partnership.  In addition to the Secretary, remarks were given by:

 

·     Dr. Solomon H. Snyder, Board Member, Foundation for the National Institutes

·    Ellen Sigal, Ph.D., Chairperson, Friends of Cancer Research

·     Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Director, National Institutes of Health

·     Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, Director, National Cancer    Institute

·     Dr. John Kelly, Senior Vice President, PhRMA

The announcement of the launch appeared in a July 22 article in The Wall Street Journal (please see below).  Articles have also appeared in the National Journal and Reuters Health.

 
B.

  Los Angeles Times Op-Ed

On July 22, 2002 an op-ed appeared in the Los Angles Times that was written by our board members, Sherry Lansing, Chairwoman of Paramount Studios, and General Norman H. Schwarzkopf.  The op-ed discussed the importance of participating in clinical trials (please see below).

 
C.

FY03 Federal Budget

The Senate Appropriations Committee met on July 18, 2002 to establish mark-ups for the Labor HHS Appropriations bill.  The numbers are not final, however, the current allocations are

NIH: 27.2 billion

(3.7 billion increase from FY 2002 and is 25 million over the President’s budget numbers)

If passed, this would meet the full request for the five-year doubling.

NCI: 4.6 billion

(514 million increase from FY 2002 and equal to the President’s budget numbers)

This number is approximately 1 billion short of the NCI Bypass Budget request for 2003.

The budget process is still in early stages and with many uncertainties in this fiscal year there are many challenges ahead.  Please be sure to contact leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee and reiterate the need to maintain the NIH doubling and meet the bypass request of the NCI.

 

 
Ellen Sigal Marlene Malek   Beth Mendelson
Chair President  Executive Director