DeLauro Lauds Increased Funding for NIH and Cancer Research
NEW HAVEN, CT (February 1, 2016) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today visited Arvinas, a New Haven pharmaceutical development company, to highlight the increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the 2016 budget. During her visit, DeLauro discussed the importance of medical research for the national agenda, including the President’s ‘cancer moonshot’ initiative.
“Medical research is incredible. A breakthrough at NIH saves not just one life, but potentially millions of lives over generations. As a 30-year survivor of ovarian cancer, I am alive today thanks to the grace of God and the power of biomedical research,” said Rosa DeLauro. “In the 2016 Omnibus, I fought to have the NIH’s budget increased by $2 billion – the largest increase in funding since 2003. This is an important step toward restoring the NIH to its full power, but there is still more work to do.”
Researchers at Arvinas have successfully transitioned NIH funding into the full development of new medications. Investments by NIH enable researchers to complete the necessary initial research and development phases of drug and treatment concepts, which are then presented by companies like Arvinas to private investors for final development and marking. DeLauro previously visited Arvinas when she introduced the Accelerating Biomedical Research Act.
At the event, DeLauro was joined by Dr. Craig Crews, Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor of Arvinas; Dr. Roy S. Herbst, Chief of Medical Oncology at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven; Dr. Patricia LoRusso, Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Associate Director of Innovative Medicine at Yale Cancer Center; and Dr. Susan Froshauer, President/CEO of CURE.
Susan Froshauer said, “Sustained, continual growth of NIH funding is so critical for cultivation of new ideas and the discovery and development of innovative medicines. Congresswoman DeLauro’s dedication to this mission is not to be underestimated. This will help ensure we harvest our existing investments in genomics and personalized medicine and continue to inspire talented young scientists.”
Since 2003, NIH’s budget has declined by nearly 25 percent, when adjusting for inflation. While NIH is now funded at an all-time high of $32.084 billion, in part due to last year’s $2 billion increase, funding has not kept pace with the rising cost of biomedical research. Adjusting for inflation, current funding is still more than $5 billion below 2003 levels. DeLauro recently introduced the Accelerating Biomedical Research Act, which would reverse the devastating funding cuts to the NIH and provide stable, predictable growth for years to come.
###