FAIR NEWSLETTER: March 2009
 

President Obama to increase all HIV
funding, including for HIV Research

During the election campaign, Senator Obama made it clear he was prepared to provide increased funding for HIV/AIDS social programs and bio-medical research. As you'll read in the stories below, he and Congress have followed through on their promise to add more funding for HIV/AIDS.

Proportionately more $$ for HIV/AIDS in the
"American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009"

The final "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" stimulus bill signed into law by President Obama contains $7.4 billion designated for transfer to the National Institutes of Health, one of which oversees HIV funding. The bill calls for distribution pro-rata per previous year's allocations. Since HIV/AIDS gets ten percent of the NIH research budget it is reasonable to expect it will get a similar portion of this $7.4 billion with all other illnesses getting their past percent which, in almost every other illness, is pennies on the dollar compared to HIV funding.

FAIR to President-elect Obama: Choose NIH Director
with no HIV favoritism and end this bias

Our CEO joined with FAIR Board members and wrote a letter to President-elect Obama in which we asked that he choose a new NIH Director who does not endorse a policy of HIV favoritism and we asked that such past bias in HIV funding cease with increased funding for non-AIDS illnesses. We included our brochure, a fact sheet showing the plummeting deaths from HIV, itemization of billions budgeted for HIV, and a CD with our country's top HIV researcher and the man who oversees the $2.9 billion HIV budget, Anthony Fauci, MD powerfully stating
"...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..."

FAIR to Acting NIH Director: end HIV favoritism

Our CEO joined with FAIR Board members and wrote a letter to the Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, in which we asked that he end HIV favoritism in bio-medical research funding and that consideration be given to increase funding for non-HIV illnesses with a corresponding reallocation of a portion of HIV to those other illnesses. An unacceptable letter complete with hyperbole was received. Our CEO countered their arguments and stated, in part, "your letter appears to have been written by an AIDS activist within your organization, not an NIH Director with the courage to change funding that is grossly biased against non-AIDS illnesses except cancer and CVD.  To read both, click here.

Obama NIH transition team requests our input, we reply

The Obama transition team reviewing NIH research funding policies requested input from many organizations, including FAIR. As stated in the communications above, in our response we once again request a new NIH Director devoid of HIV favoritism as well as fairer and more equitable funding for non-AIDS illnesses. We note that one of President Obama's transition members, Harold Varmus, MD, was Director of the NIH during the period when large funding was requested and granted to the NIH for HIV/AIDS. We are hopeful Dr. Varmus will respect the great success against HIV by the recent Director, Dr. Zerhouni and the NIAID Director, Dr. Fauci, and fulfill the Obama motto "Change Can Happen" with new funding priorities that cease HIV favoritism.

FAIR to Senate Committee on Appropriations on
Stimulus funding for the NIH

When the Senate Committee on Appropriations was formulating their stimulus funding plan, our CEO and Board of Directors communicated with all twenty-eight members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and warned of pro-rata distribution of funds to the NIH's Institutes as written in the House Appropriations Committee's $825 billion plan. Indeed, HIV now gets ten percent of all NIH research funding and with pro rata distribution it would likely receive close to ten percent of any increases. In the final stimulus bill, $7.4 billion more is allocated to the NIH for its research Institutes, and it is very likely that the NIAID Institute (Nat. Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases), which oversees AIDS dollars, would receive close to $1 billion and most of that would likely be allocated to HIV. The already-great disparities between HIV and non-HIV funding would be greatly magnified. We also included a CD with Dr. Fauci's powerful quote describing their great success with HIV/AIDS patients living normal lives. Click on the hands grabbing for the dollars to view our letter and full presentation.

President Obama's budget calls for increase in global
HIV funding to $51.7 billion, Autism receives special consideration

President Obama's budget calls for an increase in global HIV/AIDS funding to $51.7 billion dollars, yet some within the HIV community are still expressing concern over his commitment and his allocations. On page 69 President Obama's budget presentation states, "The budget includes $211 million ...for research into the causes of and treatments for ASD (autism spectrum disorders), screenings, public awareness, and support services. While we applaud increased funding for autism, we are dismayed at the tactic of singling out individual diseases for attention as opposed to a comprehensive reassessment of the needs of all illnesses without sufficient remedies.

FAIR to Senate Finance Committee Chair and Ranking member: end HIV favoritism in research $$

Our CEO joined with FAIR Board members and wrote a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Finance, Max Baucus (D-MT) (seen on left) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) in which we asked that the finance committee recognize the great success against HIV disease with a parallel reduction in taxpayer funding to HIV bio-medical research funding and a re-allocation of those funds to more deserving, non-AIDS illnesses.

A Call to Dr. Fauci--take the high
road and share with other sufferers

The man who oversees all of our government's HIV/AIDS research, Anthony Fauci, MD, came to our part of Southern California to be honored at the Steve Chase Awards AIDS benefit event. To provide balance to the local newspaper's interview with Dr. Fauci, we submitted our opinion-editorial and asked Dr. Fauci to share his overflowing treasure chest of research dollars with other sufferers, refuse any more funding for HIV disease with a plea to Congress to re-direct a substantial portion of existing HIV funding to other illnesses that have not had the success he has achieved. We also placed on the table for the first time the possibility of the adjective "greed" being used to describe the HIV/AIDS industry and Dr. Fauci's legacy.

FAIR to American Idol's Producers, Host & Judges:
Distribute HIV $ from "Idol Gives Back" to non-HIV illnesses

American's #1 television show, American Idol, dedicates one show annually to "giving back" and the last one raised over $70 million dollars to improve health and education in the USA and globally, a significant portion of it going to HIV. We sent a letter to the Executive Producers, the host and the judges of the TV show American Idol asking that they cease the HIV funding and, instead, distribute its portion to non-HIV illnesses, including rare illnesses that receive such poor funding from our government for research.

FAIR urges the NKF to support Senator Specter's
bill and pilot projects of financial incentives

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is a large national organization whose web site states their vision is "to enhance the lives of everyone with, at risk of or affected by kidney disease.” It also states that they place patients first yet they have always lobbied against new organ-donor policies even though 76,000 on the waiting list need a new kidney and thousands more are on dialysis but not yet on the waiting list. The NKF requested input prior to their January Board meeting on financial incentives to promote organ donation and our CEO and Board provided recommendations in a lengthy email with extensive references. The NKF's new policy continues to exhibit their lack of courage in that they, once again, refuse to support financial incentives or Presumed Consent to increase organ recoveries.

The NKF's response shows an utter lack of
courage by their Board of Directors

What was the decision of the NKF's Board of Directors? They issued their, supposedly new, "End the Wait" policy that is embarrassing and lacks courage in refusing to address the need for pilot projects of new organ donor policies such as financial incentives and/or Presumed Consent. Heavens, with the waiting list now above 101,000, how many patients with renal and pancreatic disease have to die before this large national organization that professes to represent them opens its eyes to the obvious crisis that exists today?

FAIR to NEWSWEEK Magazine's My Turn on
organ donation crisis: "Admit failure and Change"

Every week NEWSWEEK magazine has a page called "My Turn" where the public can input their thoughts. In response to their large article Not Just Urban Legend that alleged trafficking of organs in the USA, we submitted our input that the present system based on altruism is failing to meet the demand and an alternative policy is needed.

FAIR presents our Organ Donor
Enhancement Act to California Legislators

FAIR's Director of information Services for New Organ-Donor Policies, Jerry Jackson, and our Board member, Bill Remak, are seen here in Governor Schwarzenegger's office after they gave numerous presentations to California Senators and Assemblypersons. Their goal: to procure sponsors for our Organ-Donor Enhancement Act that was written by Jerry and will save hundreds of lives in California each year. We are hopeful for a positive response from the legislators. To read the Act, click on Jerry in blue or Bill in brown and please notify us if you know a politician who will support this much-needed legislation.