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Psoriasis Cure Now cheers U.S. House of Representatives for supporting psoriasis research in key appropriations bill
(June 22, 2006) Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today praised the House Appropriations Committee for its strong language in support of expanding federally-funded psoriasis research. The language is contained in the Report accompanying the Fiscal Year 2007 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill, H.R. 5647, which was filed on Tuesday.
“We applaud the House Appropriations Committee for standing with the millions of Americans who face psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis every day,” said Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now. “Even as this Committee has doubled biomedical research funding at the National Institutes of Health over the last decade, psoriasis research funding has dropped by 22%. This strong message coming from the House will, we hope, get the attention of NIH and lead to a healthier future for the as many as 7.5 million Americans with this incurable disease. While many lawmakers helped make this happen, we particularly wish to thank Chairman Ralph Regula of Ohio, Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Reps. Tim Murphy and Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania, and Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts for their leadership on this important issue.”
The National Psoriasis Foundation and Psoriasis Cure Now have been working together this year to mobilize Congressional support for psoriasis research and this Report language.
“The National Psoriasis Foundation and its impressive grass roots support have been powerful partners in this effort, and we look forward to continuing to work with them as we seek similar language from the United States Senate,” Paranzino added.
The relevant language of the House Report includes language urging the NIH Director to coordinate and expand psoriasis research at various Institutes; encouraging the National Institutes of Mental Health to investigate the mental health aspects of psoriasis; calling on the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to expand its research portfolio on skin disease; and urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect psoriasis incidence and prevalence data, including for children, who have not always been counted in past studies. Hundreds of thousands of children and teens are estimated to have psoriasis.
The full House has not yet voted on the Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill, nor has the Senate passed its version. Psoriasis Cure Now is continuing to generate constituent letters in support of this important language. Everyone who believes in psoriasis research is invited to write their lawmakers through the Psoriasis Cure Now website.
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