Psoriasis Cure Now Applauds Congress For Supporting Psoriasis Research In Key Appropriations Bills

Main Category: Eczema / Psoriasis
Article Date: 24 Jul 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, praised the House and Senate Appropriations Committees for their strong language in support of expanding federally-funded psoriasis research. The language is contained in Reports accompanying the Fiscal Year 2008 Labor-HHS Appropriations bills in both the House and the Senate.

"The Appropriations Committees in both the House and the Senate have included important language in recent days that will strengthen the federal government's commitment to research on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis," said Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now. "Millions of Americans battle psoriasis, and the Report language included in the Labor-HHS Appropriations bills moving through Congress will help speed the race for better treatments and ultimately a cure for this painful and sometimes debilitating disease. We are grateful for this expression of Congressional interest in psoriasis and look forward to the National Institutes of Health implementing these priorities expeditiously."

During the time that NIH funding for other diseases doubled, government funding for psoriasis research actually fell by one-fifth. Only in the last couple of years has the psoriasis community become vocal in seeking a fair share of federal research dollars for psoriasis. Currently, just one dollar per patient is spent on psoriasis research annually.

"While many lawmakers were instrumental in securing this important language backing psoriasis research, we want to thank particularly Chairman Dave Obey, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Chairman Tom Harkin, and Senator Arlen Specter for their work on behalf of psoriasis patients," Paranzino added. "We should also note that the National Psoriasis Foundation has been very active on the Hill in recent months, and their hard work here in our nation's Capital is clearly paying off."

Last week, Psoriasis Cure Now launched a $10,000 video contest seeking short videos to educate the public about the seriousness of psoriasis and the challenges people with psoriasis face. Copies of the winning videos will be, among other things, distributed to lawmakers. You can learn more about psoriasis and the Psoriasis Cure Now Video Contest here.

http://psoriasis-cure-now.org

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