Travel with FAIR to Congress  FAIR's CEO and Founder, Richard Darling, DDS, has now given over 100 presentations in the Senate and House of Representatives office buildings calling for recognition of the great success of AIDS researchers and an end to HIV/AIDS favoritism with a corresponding partial re-distribution of the $2.9 billion AIDS budget to non-AIDS illnesses. Examine his presentation materials and visit with Dr. Darling in Congressional offices while viewing the many pictures of his recent trip's visit to legislative health aides, policy and legislative directors here.

Who said this very revealing quote
on CNN about HIV research?

"...the scientific advancements that have been made in HIV [research] are breathtaking [with] highly effective drugs to suppress HIV to the point where what was a death sentence in the early eighties to now having patients who look and feel well, who are leading very productive, very gratifying lives..." None other than Dr. Anthony Fauci (shown here) who is the Director of the NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) overseeing all HIV/AIDS research. Now that he has been so successful, what will he do with the $2.9 billion Congress gives his department for HIV/AIDS research every year, an amount that is a full ten percent of the entire US bio-medical research budget? Listen to Dr. Fauci on CNN saying the above quote here and then see the article below for the answer to our question. (CNN video edited at www.tjordancomm.com).”

NIAID to now spend millions lobbying for an HIV vaccine.
Is that needed? Where is the business plan?

The NIAID has engaged in a taxpayer-supported advertising campaign that lobbies Americans in support of preventive HIV vaccine research. The ads, which ran for six weeks in targeted markets beginning last October, challenge young Americans to "Be The Generation" that ends AIDS by supporting this effort. The cost of the NIAID's plan is not disclosed. FAIR would like a vaccine for HIV and many other illnesses, but before present AIDS research dollars are allotted for that purpose, we believe it more appropriate for the NIH to concentrate on finding better treatments for illnesses that have not achieved the basic goal of effective therapy as has been realized for HIV/AIDS.

Who Controls HIV/AIDS Dollars?

It should be noted that although the NIAID is just one of 27 Institutes and Centers within the NIH, the Director of the entire NIH, Elias Zerhouni, MD, (shown at left) is powerless to touch or re-distribute any of the $2.9 billion that is given annually to the one Institute of which Dr. Fauci is Director: the NIAID.
 

Further Evidence of NIH Budgetary Woes
and the need for partial re-distribution of HIV $$

Continuing evidence of the need to re-distribute a portion of HIV's excessive funding is seen in the NIH announcement that due to flat federal budgets, inflationary adjustments for existing non-competing renewal research awards will not be made in FY2007. Full NIH press release

FAIR  Board Member's Powerful input
on HIV/AIDS and the law

Does the judicial system give great favoritism to HIV/AIDS patients and take away the ability of physicians to properly diagnose this illness and provide proper notice to the patient's life partner? FAIR Board member and malpractice attorney, Art Curley, has been lecturing physicians and dentists for two decades on how to avoid law suits. Listen to a powerful and informative presentation by Mr. Curley with input from Dr. Morse at a recent FAIR Board meeting here in which Mr. Curley urges that the power be given back to physicians when diagnosing HIV patients.

What does Pirot say is the solution to Global AIDS?
More Research?

No. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, says what FAIR has been saying for five years: ""We need to greatly intensify life-saving prevention efforts while we expand HIV treatment programs." We would also add that the need to install health infrastructures to deliver these remedies is also a crucial ingredient in combating global AIDS. The Pirot article and quotes are here.

"Post-HIV life expectancy n U.S., 24 years;
Cost per patient: $600,000"

A study at New York's Weill Cornell Medical College now shows HIV patients living decades longer while the total cost of their care has risen to $600,000--nearly 40 percent higher than a commonly cited estimate from the late 1990s. Full Story.

"I feel awesome and I look great"

In this article by Helen Altonn in Hawaii, you get a first-hand view of the great success of HIV drugs as patients describe how they are living long and productive lives while having been infected for years.

Stem Cell Research Advancements for diabetes,
heart & liver disease:

The first international, multicenter trial of the Edmonton Protocol -- a standardized approach to the transplantation of insulin-producing islets demonstrates that this may be an appropriate therapy that can dramatically benefit certain patients with severe complications of Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Full story here.

Inova Fairfax Hospital Liver Transplant Center Closes--Why?

As reported by Susan Levine in the Washington Post, Inova Fairfax Hospital liver transplant program has closed due to its not performing sufficient transplants to stay viable. Why? Because there is a shortage of donated organs. This dilemma highlights the organ-donor crisis in the USA and the need for UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing oversees USA transplants) to adopt a new, heightened sense of urgency and agree to test new organ-donor policies of Presumed Consent and Donation Benefits. We brought this fact to Ms. Levine's attention as well as a serious omission in her article that could lead to lives lost. Click here.

Presumed Consent (PC) receives great credibility

The organ donor policy of Presumed Consent received a major endorsement from FAIR Foundation member, Michel Mendler, MD, who transplanted patients for years as a Hepatologist in France at the University of Rennes. In his written testimony to the New York State Transplant Council's Committee on Presumed Consent for their meeting on 12/18/06, Dr. Mendler wrote, "In our Center in Rennes, approximately 100 liver transplantations were performed per year. As one of the Transplant Hepatologists, when on call I personally carried "the waiting list" of recipients, typically 5 to 8 patients long. Average waiting times were well within a month. Fulminant (i.e. sudden and severe) cases received offers within hours. Deaths on the waiting lists were very rare. The abundance of organs allowed (and still does allow) for the transplantation of patients from Italy, supported financially by the Italian Government." Read Dr. Mendler's full letter to the NY Transplant Council's Committee on PC here. Dr. Mendler is now working saving lives at the Loma Linda University Medical Center Transplant Institute in Loma Linda, CA.

LifeSharers is fair, but insufficient

Reporter Karen Roebuck wrote about one suggested solution to the organ-donor crisis (94,200+ are on waiting lists and one dies every 90 minutes while waiting) in the USA: LifeSharers whose only requirement is that members sign a form stating that when a member dies, his or her organs would be offered first to relatives or LifeSharers members. If you aren't willing to give the "Gift of Life," it is argued you should not receive it either. We think that is a reasonable position, but insufficient to reverse the organ donor crisis. Our Founder asked Ms. Roebuck to consider publicizing other more effective organ-donor policies of Presumed Consent and Donation Benefits in an email you may read here. It includes a link to our organ-donor template that enables one to easily send a prepared letter in support of new policies to President Bush and one's Congresspersons today.

The HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Parade Continues

In May there were 1,742 HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials, in August, 1,865, in October 2,233, Now it is 2,628. Find out how many for your disease by clicking here. For example, there are a total of only 1,993 clinical trials for Diabetes, 295 for Alzheimer's Disease, 331 for COPD, 369 for hepatitis C and 847 for our Focus Disease of the Month: Prostate disease.

FAIR Members' Soapbox Alerts continue

This month to those suffering from orphan (rare) diseases. To easily send an alert today to President Bush, VP Cheney, your Senators and Representatives in support of fairer funding for orphan illnesses, click the Soapbox logo!

Help us meet a $1,500 challenge grant
from a generous donor...

As everyone thinks about making their year-end gifts to charitable organizations, we ask that you consider adding the FAIR Foundation to your list. You can DOUBLE YOUR GIFT by making a gift today and matching the $1,500 challenge grant from a major donor! Help us help all who need fair and equitable research allocations for their disease of interest and to achieve new organ-donor policies to reverse the organ-donor crisis in America. Indeed, we are the only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to fairness in research funding and we respectfully ask for your help in funding our effort. Remember, we have no paid employees. Indeed; we are all volunteers so every dollar of your donation will go to continuing our educating Congress and the NIH on the need for change to insure fair funding for your disease of interest. Thank you in advance for your generosity!  

Please make your donation on our secure website or mail a check made out to the FAIR Foundation and mailed to FAIR at 78-629 Bougainvillea Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92211.

Focus Disease of the Month: Prostate Cancer

• Prostate Cancer is a malignant tumor that begins growing in the prostate gland. It can spread from the prostate to nearby lymph nodes, bones, or other organs. This spread is called metastasis.

• Prostate Cancer can be fatal: About 27,000 Americans die of prostate disease each year. That is 2.5 times the number of deaths for HIV/AIDS as reported by the Dept's of Health in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

• Prostate Cancer symptoms: Early prostate cancer usually does not cause any symptoms. But as the tumor grows it may spread from the prostate to surrounding areas causing a variety of symptoms. As a result of metastasis to the spine, for example, many men experience pain in the lower back, pelvis, or upper thighs. (To get a clearer picture of prostate cancer and its stages, see Grading and Staging: What the numbers mean.) Symptoms of more advanced cases of prostate cancer may also include interruption of urinary flow (stopping and starting), inability to urinate, difficulty starting or stopping urination, frequent urination (especially at night), blood in the urine and pain or burning during urination.

• Prostate Cancer and treatment: Five types of standard treatment are used: Proton therapy, such as that available at the Loma Linda University Medical Center Proton Treatment Center, is a desired treatment modality because the cancer-killing proton beam does not release its energy to destroy the tumor until it reaches the tumor, thus there is little or no damage to tissues as the beam enters the body. Side effects of treatment are minimal. The others treatments are watchful waiting, surgery; which may result in significant side effects, such as impotence, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy. Stopping testicular production of testosterone may help relieve many advanced prostate cancer symptoms.  

• Prostate Cancer and age: it usually affects people over the age of 50. 

• Prostate Cancer is prevalent: It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in America among men. Indeed, prostate cancer is diagnosed every few minutes. The American Cancer Society estimates that 234,460 men will be diagnosed. It is estimated that 2.8-3 million men have this disease, which is almost three times the estimated number of patients with HIV/AIDS. 17.12% of men born today will be diagnosed with cancer of the prostate at some time during their lifetime. This number can also be expressed as 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with cancer of the prostate during their lifetime.

• Prostate Cancer and race: Afro-Americans are twice as likely to die from prostate disease as Caucasians, six times more likely than Asians, three times greater than American Indians and three times more likely to die from it than Mexican-American men.

• Prostate Cancer and & Stem Cell Research? Stem cell research may provide breakthrough treatments and cures for diseases and injuries that affect millions of Americans with Prostate disease, Parkinson’s Disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, HIV/AIDS, osteoporosis, ALS, autism, severe burns and spinal cord injury.

• FAIRness in Research Funding?? In 2007, the NIH is spending only $373 Million dollars on Prostate disease. Compare that to $2.9 Billion on HIV/AIDS. Deaths from Prostate disease are is 2.5 times the number of deaths for HIV/AIDS as reported by the Dept's of Health in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Prostate disease and all other diseases except HIV/AIDS would receive larger research allocations under the FAIR Foundation's policies.

• Video: To view a powerful 14 minute video by ABC Television with striking quotes by many well-known celebrities and politicians that illustrates the need for more fair and equitable funding, Click here.

Prostate Disease statistics from the National Cancer Institute, Prostate.com.

In the fight for fairness in funding to balance the scales of justice, remember that every new member counts. We have thousands of members and supporters in all fifty States and the District of Columbia but we need many more to impact our nation's Congresspersons and the President. Please, forward this newsletter to your friends and associates now with your personal recommendation that they join FAIR for free today by clicking on the scales of justice to the left and including the JOIN link!

The FAIR Foundation, 78629 Bougainvillea Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92211   E-mail: fair@dc.rr.com

FAIR Mission Statement: The FAIR Foundation is dedicated to fair and equitable distribution of research funds by the government for all diseases, including the 16 that kill a million more Americans than AIDS. A disease’s mortality rate shall be given emphasis in determining allocations and other secondary factors shall be utilized to insure diseases that cause great suffering but have low mortality rates will also receive significantly increased funding.