The single most important thing that will improve the lives of those living with psoriasis is to increase research funding on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Leveraging the power of all the world’s governments and people toward that end could dramatically speed the development of a cure.
Unfortunately, TOO MANY WEALTHY NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD ARE NOT INVESTING ENOUGH IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH, whether it be on psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, or other diseases and illnesses, from malaria to cancer to AIDS.
For this reason, Psoriasis Cure Now has launched the World Psoriasis Day Challenge.
World Psoriasis Day is coming October 29, 2010. The event is run by a number of advocacy groups around the world, and according to the event website [as of 9/16/2010], the goals of World Psoriasis Day are four-fold:
Aims of World Psoriasis Day
• Raising awareness: to let people with psoriasis know that they are not alone and to raise the profile of this devastating skin disease and the misery it can cause. To dispel myths about the condition, such as the mistaken view that psoriasis is contagious.
• Improving access to treatment: to encourage healthcare systems, governments, physicians, carers and all those responsible for psoriasis care to allow psoriasis sufferers access to optimum therapy. For too long, psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis has been low priority.
They are debilitating diseases and must move up the healthcare agenda.
• Increasing understanding: to provide information to those who are affected by the condition as well as the general public in order to educate people about the condition so that they can discuss it more openly and confidently.
• Building unity among the psoriasis community: to provide a platform from which patient voices from around the world can speak as one and be heard by key decision makers.
Unfortunately, these Aims completely ignore psoriasis research to find a cure! Thus the World Psoriasis Day Challenge — a friendly competition among nations -– you might even call it the World Cup of Medical Research:
Psoriasis Cure Now challenges our friends around the world to match the United States in per person spending on medical research by the year 2015.
Right now, the United States leads the world in annual investments in biomedical research funding. American taxpayers fund more than $30 billion annually in biomedical research, in a nation of 300 million people. That’s $100 (about 76 Euro) given to research each year for every man, woman and child living in the United States.
That is about THREE TIMES the amount spent by other countries with decent records in medical research funding. Canada spends about $30 per person. The UK also spends about $30 per person on medical research.
So let’s get started on a friendly competition to see which nation is spending the most on life-enhancing and life-saving research by 2015. If we are going to have a day when we try to get the entire world psoriasis community engaged and working together, by all means let’s make it about increasing research on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
The World Psoriasis Day Challenge
We are asking for everyone on Earth outside the United States who cares about psoriasis to join the two-part World Psoriasis Day Challenge:
1 – Contact your lawmakers, leaders, and media, and share with them the fact that the United States spends more money on medical research per person than they do. Tap into their national pride, and tell them you don’t want to be lagging behind the USA on such a vital human rights issue. Ask them to increase medical research on psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and other diseases, with the goal of matching or EXCEEDING the USA amount by 2015.
2 – Reach out to people faced with, and other patient groups battling, other diseases, including cancer, AIDS, heart disease and autism. Ask them to join you in this movement. Show them the figures, and ask them why your country should be trailing in such an important measurement. Get them energized to join you not just for one day, but for a multi-year effort to get your nation to step up your biomedical research funding.
Want to see what other countries are investing in vital medical research? Have data you want to add to our website? Visit our Medical Research Funding Level by Country web page to see the good, the bad and the ugly about which countries are scoring big to help the world unlock the secrets of health and disease, and which countries are facing an own goal.
“What do you think?”
The World is a big place, so we have THREE places for you to comment on the World Psoriasis Day Challenge. Click on the links below to add your voice:
