Statement of Gregory T. Lucier, United for Medical Research spokesperson and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Life Technologies

WASHINGTON – “On behalf of United for Medical Research (UMR), a coalition of leading research institutions, patient and health advocates and private industry, I applaud Chairman Obey and the House Appropriations Subcommittee for their approval of $32 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) FY2011 budget. Today’s markup provides a significant step forward toward increased investment in life-saving and economy-boosting medical research funding.

“NIH funds are not just a vital tool in our pursuit to reduce the burden of disease and its associated health care costs, but also yield essential dividends in our states and communities – from job creation and industry growth to better quality of life for millions of patients and families.

“On behalf of UMR, I commend Chairman Obey’s leadership and the appropriations subcommittee action and urge Congress to continue moving forward and secure a significant funding increase for the NIH.

WASHINGTON – As the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing today to discuss the National Institutes of Health (NIH) FY2011 budget, a coalition of leading research institutions, patient and health advocates and private industry companies applauded the appropriators’ attention to the life-saving public health issue.

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the NIH, was the witness in today’s hearing, highlighting the impressive research advancements over the years through NIH funding, as well as the need to remain steadfast in “the research marathon.”

The United for Medical Research (UMR) coalition advocates for sustained, high levels of NIH biomedical funding critical to ensuring new scientific discoveries to ultimately reduce the burden of disease and death and promote economic growth across the country.

“The impact NIH investments have on our nation’s health and economic well-being are undeniable,” said Gregory T. Lucier, UMR spokesperson and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Life Technologies. “Research funding boosts job creation and industry growth and yields health care cost reductions and improved quality of life for patients and their families. At this critical moment in science, we urge Congress to continue to invest sufficient, sustained funding to find the next generation of treatments and cures.”

WASHINGTON – As the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services held a hearing today to discuss the National Institutes of Health (NIH) FY2011 budget, a coalition of leading research institutions, patient and health advocates and private industry companies applauded the appropriators’ attention to the life-saving public health issue.

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the NIH, was the lead witness in Wednesday’s hearing, highlighting the impressive research advancements over the years through NIH funding, as well as the need to remain steadfast in “the research marathon.”

“Whatever the disease, be it depression, diabetes, or something much rarer, NIH’s emphasis in FY 2011 and beyond will be on translating basic discoveries into new diagnostic and treatment advances in the clinic,” said Collins. Later he stressed, “It is crucial to keep in mind that investing in NIH not only improves America’s health and strengthens our nation’s biomedical research potential, it empowers the entire U.S. economy.”

The United for Medical Research (UMR) coalition advocates for sustained, high levels of NIH biomedical funding critical to ensuring new scientific discoveries to ultimately reduce the burden of disease and death and promote economic growth across the country.

“NIH investments have led to breakthroughs in medical research, such as the mapping of the human genome,” said Gregory T. Lucier, UMR spokesperson and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Life Technologies. “But science cannot progress in cycles of boom or bust; rather it requires reliable and robust financial investment. We urge Congress to provide significant funding increases to the NIH to empower the nation’s army of scientists to find the next generation of treatments and cures.”

Medical Research Coalition Applauds Additional Funding to Benefit Public Health and the Economy

WASHINGTON – United for Medical Research (UMR), a coalition of leading research institutions, patient and health advocates and private industry companies, applauds the support of a strong, bipartisan contingent of the nation’s governors to make increased biomedical funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) a priority in the FY2011 budget. The 25 governors voiced their commitment to the life sciences industry in a letter to Congress, asking them to meet the President’s request for $32.2 billion.  

The governors highlighted the NIH’s ability to enable scientific talent and discoveries, leading to new treatments and cures for patients in need. The letter also highlighted the ability of biomedical research to serve as an economic engine in cities and states across the country, providing 350,000 jobs nationwide.

UMR appreciates this effort from state leadership across the country and will continue the drumbeat for strong, sustained funding for the NIH to improve both the lives of the countless patients who count on the results of biomedical research and the health of our national economy.

The text of the Governors’ letter follows:

Dear Chairmen Conrad and Spratt and Ranking Members Gregg and Ryan:

We, the undersigned governors, thank you for your past support for biomedical research and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and ask you to craft a budget resolution that accommodates the President’s $32.2 billion FY 2011 NIH budget request.

The greatest contribution NIH makes is to the health and well-being of Americans.  Past federal investments in medical research, combined with those from the private sector, have led to improved health, better quality of life, and improved productivity for millions of patients and their families.

But NIH is also an important national, regional, and local economic engine.  Together, our states received more than $19 billion from the NIH last year for promising research efforts.  NIH funding directly supports 350,000 jobs across the U.S.  In our states, we see firsthand the world class research institutions and scientific teams enabled by NIH, as well as the indirect job benefits of laboratories needing space, supplies, services, and equipment.  We are also deeply aware that NIH-funded discoveries are the basis of new companies and even new industries in our communities.

NIH research is an instrumental part of the success of the U.S. life sciences industry and its 6 million high wage U.S. jobs. Moreover, follow-on life science research advances are now stimulating new jobs and new solutions in green energy, agriculture, the environment and industrial manufacturing. NIH funding enables the scientific talent and discoveries that are at the heart of this vast array of economic activity.

As you develop the Congressional Budget Resolution, we urge you to enable the 3.2% funding increase for NIH contained in the President’s budget request.

With warm regards,

Governor Jim Doyle, Wisconsin

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California

Governor Bob Riley, Alabama

Governor Bill Ritter, Jr., Colorado

Governor M. Jodi Rell, Connecticut

Governor Jack Markell, Delaware

Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois

Governor Chester J. Culver, Iowa

Governor Mark Parkinson, Kansas

Governor Steve L. Beshear, Kentucky

Governor Martin O’Malley, Maryland

Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts

Governor Chris Christie, New Jersey

Governor David A. Paterson, New York

Governor Bev Perdue, North Carolina

Governor Ted Strickland, Ohio

Governor Brad Henry, Oklahoma

Governor Theodore R. Kulongoski, Oregon

Governor Edward G. Rendell, Pennsylvania

Governor M. Michael Rounds, South Dakota

Governor Phil Bredesen, Tennessee

Governor James H. Douglas, Vermont

Governor Christine O. Gregoire, Washington

Governor Joe Manchin III, West Virginia

Governor Dave Freudenthal, Wyoming

In a recent op-ed published in Science Progress, Clyde Yancy (President of the American Heart Association), Edward Miller (Dean of the Medical Faculty and CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine) and Greg Lucier (CEO of Life Technologies) touted the importance of making a robust, long-term investment in NIH research.  

The op-ed came on the eve of the 1-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and speaks of some of the benefits of investing in NIH research.  These benefits include: driving American innovation, contributing to America’s economic progress and providing better, longer lives for Americans. 

As Yancy, Miller and Lucier wrote, “All this adds up to a vibrant national bio-economic system that grows and flourishes with the right starter funding and seed money from NIH. We have only begun to tap the potential of NIH-funded research as an economic growth engine. It is a catalyst for even further growth that should not be overlooked.”

The full article is pasted below.  Please click here to view on Science Progress’ site. 

Investing in Recovery and Discovery

President’s Budget and ARRA Support a Healthy Economy and Citizenry

By Clyde Yancy, Edward D. Miller and Greg Lucier

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Against the backdrop of our economic concerns, and on the eve of the anniversary of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s passage, President Obama has made a compelling case in his 2011 budget proposal for continued federal investments that deliver both immediate and long-term returns for the well-being of the American people. Investing in biomedical research through the National Institutes of Health is just such an investment.

Granted, biomedical science is not the most obvious answer on most people’s minds when it comes to our economic woes. And certainly, it is not the only solution. But far too often, it is overlooked as a major source of American innovation, economic progress, and perhaps most importantly, better and longer lives for our fellow citizens.

NIH funding directly and indirectly contributes to good jobs and is a proven engine of economic growth. Each year, biomedical funding through the NIH directly supports 325,000 good-paying jobs in research institutions in all fifty states and the U.S. territories, with a positive economic impact rippling far beyond the labs themselves. The Recovery Act will have created or saved roughly 50,000 jobs, as well. But the impact of biomedical investment goes far beyond the lab.

Each research facility runs like a small business, hiring junior staff and purchasing space, supplies tools, and equipment—not to mention the communities they help support. This directly contributes to new business for the companies around the country that supply these resources. In fact, it has been estimated that every $1 of NIH funding results in more than $2 in additional business activity and economic output.

Some of the nation’s largest employers—companies in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries—also seize upon NIH-funded discoveries to produce the next generation of treatments and cures. A recent biotechnology industry poll of its members showed that 50 percent of respondents said their companies were founded on such licensed ideas and technologies.

All this adds up to a vibrant national bio-economic system that grows and flourishes with the right starter funding and seed money from NIH. We have only begun to tap the potential of NIH-funded research as an economic growth engine. It is a catalyst for even further growth that should not be overlooked.

But NIH funding is also at the center of a game-changing movement: the revolution in biomedical science that promises to transform the scale and scope of new treatments and cures in the decades ahead. Using newly gained knowledge about biological structures and functions, scientists now have the opportunity to combat disease in unimagined ways. They no longer have to be reactive—merely describing the symptoms of a disease, applying the treatments at their disposal and watching to see what works.

Instead, they are applying the knowledge gained through decades of arduous scientific study to zero in on a disease, its triggers, and crucial steps in its development. Using discoveries and new technologies made in just the last decade—like the mapping of the human genome—scientists can now understand the molecular drivers of disease and more importantly, how to affect them. As the president pointed out in his budget announcement earlier this month, that means there is potential for cancer treatments that target the disease while leaving healthy cells unharmed; or new treatments that rewire the brain after a stroke, allowing patients to reclaim their bodies.

Combined with the increasingly rapid evolution of sophisticated biotechnology and information technology tools, this revolution in biomedical science means there can be a much shorter distance and time between basic discovery and new treatments. And patients will be the greatest beneficiaries.

We will witness a transformational shift from one-size-fits all treatments that don’t always work to tailored treatments that meet the unique needs of very different patient populations, ensuring efficient and effective care. And that means higher quality health care, with less waste and at less cost—a win for all.

This week will mark the one-year anniversary of the 2009 Recovery Act, which infused more than $10 billion into the biomedical research community through the NIH. We applaud the president on continuing the consistency of his commitment after ARRA. The kind of transformations we’re talking about—in health and the economy—can only come to full fruition if funding remains relatively consistent.

Science cannot progress in cycles of boom or bust, but rather with predictable and robust financial commitments. The right choice is to make a wise, long-term investment in NIH research. It’s an investment with strong economic returns and priceless value: better health for our families, neighbors, and friends.

Clyde Yancy is President of the American Heart Association. Edward D. Miller is the Dean of the Medical Faculty and CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine. Greg Lucier is the CEO of Life Technologies.

 The American Heart Association, Johns Hopkins, and Life Technologies are all members of United for Medical Research.

United for Medical Research (UMR) applauds the roughly 3% percent increase the President has proposed in the FY2011 budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  An increase of such an amount in this challenging budget environment is a true testament to the President’s ongoing commitment to science and biomedical research.  Robust funding for the world’s leading source of biomedical funding drives better health and a stronger economy.

Each year, NIH funding directly supports 325,000 jobs in U.S. research facilities in all fifty states and the U.S. territories, and indirectly supports thousands of additional jobs in companies that supply and support research labs and research employees.   NIH funded research is also a main source of the discoveries that some of the nation’s most significant employers – the biotech and pharmaceutical industries – build upon to produce the next generation of treatments and cures. 

NIH supported research has produced a revolution in biomedical science.   Scientists and clinicians are now fighting disease using newly gained knowledge about biological structures and functions.  Combined with the increasingly rapid evolution of new technologies supporting and accelerating scientists’ work, scientific progress is shrinking the average time between basic discovery and new treatments, and enabling higher quality health care and less waste.

Today’s budget announcement is a promising continuation of the President’s commitment to this important field.   But more can be done to  ensure the nation is able to full reap the benefits of this historic opportunity in biomedical science.    In the months and years ahead, UMR will continue to make the case for strong funding for the NIH to ensure we deliver on that promise for our national economy and countless patients who count on the results of biomedical research.

In his first State of the Union address, President Obama took the opportunity to once again link America’s investment in basic research to the country’s overall innovation agenda:

“…we need to encourage American innovation. Last year, we made the largest investment in basic research funding in history — an investment that could lead to the world’s cheapest solar cells or treatment that kills cancer cells but leaves healthy ones untouched.”

UMR appreciates the President’s unwavering support for biomedical research.   His remarks to the nation echo the commitment he has shown throughout his first year in office and his message to the National Institutes of Health in September 2009:

“Breakthroughs in medical research take far more than the occasional flash of brilliance, as important as that can be. Progress takes time; it takes hard work; it can be unpredictable; it can require a willingness to take risks and going down some blind alleys occasionally…all of this needs the support of government. It holds promise like no other area of human endeavor, but we’ve got to make a commitment to it.”

In a recent interview with Reuters, NIH director Dr. Francis Collins said that the agency will turn its attention this upcoming year to how investment in biomedical research impacts clinical science around the country.

The NIH is the single largest source of biomedical research funding in the world, and throughout its history, it has been the catalyst for academic, clinical, and private work in the field. 

According to Dr. Collins, reinforcing how this research pays off for patients will energize the research enterprise.

Read the full article here.

A new UMR report documents how Recovery Act funding of medical research through the NIH is creating and preserving jobs, laying the foundation for industry growth, and helping to reduce long-term health care costs. Investing in Recovery and Discovery illustrates these benefits through real-life stories of research scientists and their Recovery Act-funded work.

According to Dr. Steve Fluharty, Vice Provost for Research at the University of Pennsylvania, “the impact of NIH funding goes beyond the lab and into the companies that supply many of the 325,000 NIH-funded researchers across the country with the tools, technology and resources they need. Further, NIH grantees generate many of the discoveries the nation’s most significant employers – the biotech and pharmaceutical industries – build upon to create the next generation of treatments and cures.”

At the same time the funding is forging new areas of science, many of which could not have been pursued just 10 years ago, and others which could have been neglected without ARRA.  “We now have the unique opportunity to explore exciting new fields of science that may fundamentally impact our understanding of diseases, and help to tailor treatments with more precision to address the unique needs of very different patients,”says Dr. Clyde Yancy, President of the American Heart Association. “The ARRA infusion was more than a stimulus; it has been a catalyst that now provides the opportunity to jumpstart the pace of scientific discovery and ultimately to effect major advances in the quality of health for the American population.”

To learn more about how NIH funding through the Recovery Act is at work across the country in the service of better health and a healthier economy, visit here.  And to read and download the full report, visit here.

This week UMR released a detailed report on how Recovery Act funding of medical research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is at work across the country in the service of better health and a healthier economy.

Investing in Recovery and Discovery documents how the $10.5 billion infusion in 2009 and 2010 in biomedical innovation is creating jobs, fueling industry growth, and helping reduce long-term health care costs.

The report illustrates these benefits of the Recovery Act funding through real-life stories of scientists and their  work.  It also notes that many such scientific and economic advancements could be slowed or neglected if funding were to fall back to pre-Recovery Act levels in 2011 and beyond. 

As Janet Lambert of UMR’s Executive Board states, “the stimulus infusion is demonstrating that reinvesting in innovative biomedical ideas through the NIH can help the nation achieve better health and a stronger economy.  How much we commit to NIH over time in large measure will determine our success.” 

To download the full report, visit here.  To learn more, visit here.