NAEVR Endorses the National Institutes of Health Reform Act of 2006
Legislative Update
September 22, 2006
Today, in a letter to House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX), the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) endorsed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Reform Act of 2006, which was reported out on September 20 and is scheduled for House floor action prior to the impending election recess, scheduled in the House to begin September 29.
“NAEVR commends you for your commitment to a strong and vibrant national biomedical research enterprise, as well as your leadership in working on a bipartisan basis,” wrote NAEVR Board President Stephen Ryan, M.D. “We applaud your commitment to working with Congress to ensure NIH funding increases, and our community will fully support your efforts in that regard,” added Ryan, who also expressed appreciation to Committee staff for their responsiveness to the vision communitys concerns about previous versions of the bill.
NAEVR expressed its anticipation of opportunities for the National Eye Institute (NEI) presented by the legislations newly established “common fund” for trans-Institute research. “NEIs trans-Institute research efforts have resulted in numerous breakthroughs cited by NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, M.D., including the recent discovery of gene variants associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the United States,” stated Ryan. He concluded by noting that this research brings hope to all Americans, especially the 38 million citizens age 40 and older who experience blindness, low vision or age-related eye disease such as AMD, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or cataracts.
