Washington
Round-Up
April 10, 1998
Research!America Releases
Poll on Medical Research
Research!America
recently released the findings from polls conducted in six
states that show that
a "majority of citizens support doubling funding of government-sponsored
medical research over the next five years and see increased
taxes on cigarettes as a way to pay for it." The states
that were polled included Connecticut, Michigan, Virginia,
Washington, and West Virginia.
D'Amato
Proposes Tax Credit Aid to Medical Schools & Teaching
Hospitals
Senator Alfonse
D'Amato (R-NY) recently introduced legislation that would "provide medical innovation
tax credit for companies that conduct clinical testing research
activities at U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals." The "Medical
Innovation Tax Credit Act of 1998," S. 1885, is modeled
after California law that encourages pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies to expand their research activities at medical schools
and teaching hospitals in the state.
The bill would establish "an
incremental 20% tax credit that would be available to companies
that conduct clinical testing research at certain academic
institutions including medical schools and teaching hospitals
owned or affiliated with an institution of higher education."
Kidney Disease Among Lowest
Funded Disease at NIH
Recent statistics from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) show that compared to the other
leading diseases receiving research dollars at the NIH, kidney
disease is among the lowest. Compared to major NIH research
funded diseases including hematology, arthritis, lung, urology,
cardiovascular, and digestive, kidney disease received only
$208 million across the NIH campus, $16 million less than arthritis
for 1998.
Specter Amendment Tabled
On Thursday, April 2, 1998, the
U.S. Senate voted 57 to 41 to table Senator Arlen Specter's
(R-PA) amendment to the FY 1999 budget resolution to provide
a $2 billion increase for the NIH in FY 1999. Funding from
this proposed NIH increase was to come from an 0.4% across-the-board-cut
of the other budget functions, including defense.
New NIH Training Programs
The National Institutes of Health
(NIH) recently announced three new training programs to boost
the number of well-trained clinical researchers in the U.S.
Among the programs is a Clinical Research Curriculum Award
(CRCA) which the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) will administer. This K 30 grant is for educational
and research institutions and will support the development
or improvement of core courses of in-depth instruction in the
fundamental skills, methodology, theories, and conceptualizations
necessary for the well-trained, independent, clinical researcher.
The average annual award is expected to be $200,000, with approximately
20 awards to be made in FY 1999. Applications are due by October
1, 1998.
Managed Care Debate Continues
On Tuesday, March
31, 1998, Congressional Democrats released their managed care
legislation that focuses
in more on "patients than providers and would give patients
more leverage in dealing with insurers," according to
bill sponsors. In their managed care bill, Democrats would:
- allow patients to have greater
access to specialists, even if those specialists are not
in patient's pre-approved health plan, as well as greater
access to emergency care without prior approval from insurance
companies;
- allow individuals to take legal
action against insurance companies for damages under state
malpractice laws;
- permit patients to enroll in
clinical trials as long as the trials are the only hope for
overcoming a life threatening illness;
- mandate coverage for drugs not
included in health plans; and
- provide patients with a greater
opportunity to appeal denials for coverage made by insurance
companies.
Contentious Tobacco Debate
Continues
As you may be aware, many groups
within the medical research community have been aggressively
supporting tobacco bills which seek to generate additional
funds for research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The following information explains and outlines the current
status of this important debate.
Prior to adjourning for a two week
spring recess, the Senate approved its version of the 1999
budget resolution (S Con Res 86) - a nonbinding document that
sets the parameters for appropriators and tax writers to craft
binding legislation. During consideration, the Senate rejected
an amendment by Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) to codify the national
tobacco settlement and dedicate resulting revenues to education
and health programs to discourage smoking among teenagers.
Budget Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM) opposed Senator Conrad's
amendment, arguing that the billions of dollars in tobacco
revenues should be used to save the Medicare program.
At the same time
as the Senate was considering the FY 1999 budget resolution,
the Senate Commerce
Committee approved Chairman John McCain's (R-NM) tobacco bill,
S. 1414, the National Tobacco Policy & Youth Smoking Protection
Act . The bill was approved by a vote of 19-1, including a "Yes" vote
by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS). Following Committee
approval of the bill, a White House Senior Domestic Advisor
said that tobacco legislation is the President's number one
priority and that the White House will push for approval of
the Commerce Committee bill. With regard to research, the legislation
would provide $2.5 billion per year to the NIH for research
in support of epidemiological, behavioral, and social science
research (including the training of researchers) related to
the treatment and prevention of diseases associated with tobacco.
S. 1414 would also require tobacco companies to pay $506 billion
over 25 years for legal damages and anti-smoking, education
and research programs. In addition, the bill would raise cigarette
prices $1.10 a pack over five years and grant authority to
the FDA to regulate and, with Congress' approval, ban nicotine.
Also prior to adjourning for spring
recess, Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and John Chafee (R-RI) introduced
S. 1889, the Kids Deserve Freedom from Tobacco Act. With regard
to research, S. 1889 would establish a national fund for health
research and provide an additional $3.225 billion per year
to NIH. In addition, a task force would award $600 million
of the funds for the prevention and cessation of tobacco use.
On Wednesday, April 8, 1998, RJR
Nabisco Chief Executive Officer, Steven Gladstone, spoke to
an audience at the National Press Club to discuss legislation
to implement the national tobacco settlement. During his address,
Gladstone strongly opposed the current tobacco bills pending
in Congress and said that the industry is interested in combating
youth smoking - but not in declaring bankruptcy. Mr. Gladstone
also said that the current legislative vehicles addressing
the tobacco settlement are not acceptable and that the tobacco
industry is not interested in cooperating with or supporting
such initiatives.
