July 30, 2010
Statement of Gregory T. Lucier, United for Medical Research spokesperson and
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Life Technologies
WASHINGTON – “On behalf of United for Medical Research (UMR), a coalition of leading research institutions, patient and health advocates and private industry, I commend Senate Labor-HHS Subcommittee Chairman Harkin and members of the Subcommittee as well as Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Inouye and the Appropriations Committee for their approval of $32 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) FY2011 budget.
“Investment in NIH research has improved countless lives and led to life-saving drugs, like Gleevec for chronic myeloid leukemia, t-PA to reduce disability from stroke and other therapies emerging from the human genome project.
“Furthermore, NIH funding is not only a vital tool in our pursuit to reduce the burden of disease and its associated health care costs, but it also yields significant dividends for our nation, from job creation and life sciences industry growth to better quality of life for millions of patients and families.
“I commend Chairman Harkin and Chairman Inouye’s leadership and the appropriations committees’ action and urge Congress to continue moving forward and secure a significant funding increase for the NIH. Congress’ level of commitment to NIH research funding will determine how many – and how quickly – transformative ideas are brought to life for patients.”