Diabetes Organizations Applaud Release of New Congressional Report; Points to Research Funding Shortfalls

10/31/2002

From: Bronwyn Reynolds of the American Diabetes Association, 703-549-1500; or Karen Arthur of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 212-479-7553

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- The American Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, two of the nation's leading diabetes research and advocacy organizations, today applauded the National Institutes of Health for its work on their report entitled "Conquering Diabetes: Highlights of Program Efforts, Research Advances, and Opportunities." The report, sent to Congress last week, was a follow-up to the first Diabetes Research Working Group (DRWG) report issued in 1999.

Diabetes -- referred to as the "epidemic of our time" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- spares no one, attacking people of every age and racial background. Over 2,700 Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every day and the disease kills 1 American every 3 minutes.

The 2002 "Conquering Diabetes" report highlights the progress that has been made in diabetes research since the DRWG report in 1999, and also looks ahead to future challenges and opportunities. The new "Conquering Diabetes" report identifies a series of expanded research opportunities that, if invested in, will help prevent and cure diabetes and find new treatments for the care of those with the disease.

The original DRWG report called for a federal appropriation of $1.5 billion for diabetes research in fiscal year 2003; the National Institutes of Health estimates that it will allocate $845 million toward research that year. This nearly 50 percent shortfall of what the original DRWG report recommended has meant that diabetes researchers have been unable to pursue many of the most promising research avenues necessary to find a cure, according to both organizations. The original report made funding recommendations based on the clear opportunities presenting themselves in the research enterprise. Despite the outline presented in 1999, research funding has not met the DRWG's goal and the prevalence of diabetes continues to rocket skyward.

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. For more information, please call the American Diabetes Association at 800-DIABETES (800-342-2383) or visit http://www.diabetes.org.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the world's leading nonprofit, non-governmental funder of diabetes research, was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with juvenile diabetes -- a disease which strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.jdrf.org, or call 1-800-533-CURE.