The FAIR Foundation is dedicated to fair and equitable distributions of Nation Institutes of Health (NIH) research funds for all diseases, including the sixteen that kill more Americans than AIDS.

Footnoted version: AASLD Abstract Submission by Dr.'s Darling, Morse & Concepcion

MAKING THE CASE FOR INCREASED NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH RESEARCH FUNDING FOR LIVER DISEASES

In 2005 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released the “Action Plan for Liver Disease Research,”[i] and the “Liver Research Enhancement Act” was introduced in Congress.[ii] These efforts are laudable; however will the funding be available and sufficient to achieve their goals? Let us look at the present funding for liver disease research by comparing the allocations for two serious liver illnesses, hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV), to that for HIV/AIDS.

The 2006 NIH funding estimates for HBV, HCV and HIV/AIDS are $33 million, $122 million and $2.933 billion respectively.[iii] Assuming incidence statistics of 1.25 million (HBV), four million (HCV) and 950,000 (HIV/AIDS), the resultant funding per patient is $31, $26 and $3,087 respectively.

An ironic consequence of these funding differentials is the plight of the patient co-infected with AIDS and HCV or HBV since more AIDS patients are now dying of liver disease, with HCV and HBV as causative factors, than they are of the opportunistic infections that used to kill them.[iv]

The NIH allocations per death are $6,600 (HBV), $10,166 (HCV) and $162,790 (HIV/AIDS).[v]

The 2006 funding for pediatric AIDS of $283 million is 83% greater than the funding for both HBV and HCV. The CDC reports the number of estimated AIDS deaths in patients under the age of 13 in 2003 was 29[vi] with approximately 17,000 from HBV and HCV.[vii] [viii]

According to the 2003 National Vital Statistics Report,[ix] liver disease is the 12^th leading cause of death with an estimated 27,000 deaths annually.[x] AIDS is not listed as one of the top 15 causes (18,017[xi] estimated deaths).

In addition to the NIH funding for HBV and HCV, $424 million is allocated to a “Liver Disease” category. Its funding dropped from the first 2005 estimate of $424 million[xii] to $412 million for 2006.[xiii]

The NIH has stated that the increased funding for HIV/AIDS is necessary due to the following: global AIDS, it is infectious, and its research is benefiting other diseases.[xiv] Others suggest the following:

Ø The same solutions that have dropped the AIDS death rate in California’s newly infected patients 98%[xv] are the appropriate corrective actions for global AIDS, namely, prevention education, HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) and harm reduction policies.

Ø HBV and HCV are also infectious.

Ø HBV and HCV have benefited from HIV/AIDS research (e.g. Epivir, Interferon); however every disease should be evaluated and researched on its own merits consistent with societal needs.

Conclusion: It is appropriate for the NIH and Congress to reevaluate their funding policies with increased allocations for liver disease research.

[i] http://www.niddk.nih.gov/fund/divisions/ddn/ldrb/ldrb_action_plan.htm

[ii] http://www.theorator.com/bills109/hr1108.html

[iii] http://www.nih.gov/news/fundingresearchareas.htm#1

[iv] http://www.amfar.org/cgi-bin/iowa/programs/researchc/record.html?record=184

[v] http://www.fairfoundation.org/factslinks.htm

[vi] http://www.fairfoundation.org/estimated_aids_deaths2003.htm

[vii] http://consensus.nih.gov/cons/116/091202116cdc_statement.htm

[viii] Op. cit. Note 5

[ix] http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr53/nvsr53_15.pdf [x] http://www.niddk.nih.gov/fund/divisions/ddn/ldrb/chapters/ldrb_executive_summary.pdf

[xi] Op. cit. Note 6

[xii] Op. cit. Note 2

[xiii] http://www.fairfoundation.org/nih.htm

[xiv] http://www.fairfoundation.org/nihletter.htm

[xv] http://www.dhs.ca.gov/aids/Statistics/pdf/Stats2005/Apr05AIDSmerged.pdf