Print“We’re concerned that proposals from House appropriators to slash NIH’s budget by $1 billion in the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution will potentially slam the brakes on the next medical breakthroughs in heart and stroke research.”
At a time when President Obama has called for tighter spending controls to reign in the nation’s towering deficit, his 2012 budget actually proposes stronger funding for federal agencies central to the development and approval of new medicines.
“This is our generation’s Sputnik moment,” said the President during his January State of the Union address, a speech in which he touted his plan to invest in biomedical and the research areas.
The President’s 2012 budget would add money to key federal medical research agencies, boosting their funding above 2010 levels. His proposal includes an additional $745 million for the National Institutes of Health, $1.2 billion more for the National Science Foundation, and $382 million more for the Food and Drug Administration.
The increase, if adopted, would signify a victory for the life science industry, which after years of contending with largely stagnant budgets may secure new backing for programs viewed as critical to fulfilling their missions, such as the NIH-backed National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.
However, many of Obama’s proposals have received a rough reception from House Republicans, who are seeking to achieve immediate savings through cuts to a variety of programs and agencies, including the FDA and NIH.
Ralph Sacco, president of the American Heart Association called the proposed increase for the National Institutes of Health in the fiscal 2012 budget “a welcome sign that the Administration remains committed to science and innovation.” “We’re concerned that proposals from House appropriators to slash NIH’s budget by $1 billion in the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution will potentially slam the brakes on the next medical breakthroughs in heart and stroke research.”
Despite the news of the increases planned for 2012, clearly advocates of greater funding for the industry’s key touch-points with government will need to remain active to protect their gains. The President’s 2012 budget proposal just defines the starting line in what is likely to be a marathon debate over the nation’s spending priorities.
February 17, 2011
http://www.burrillreport.com/article-budget_increases_proposed_for_health_agencies.html
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