Posted by Joe Lieberman for President on June 13, 2003 at 13:45:10:
In Reply to: Re: Vinik and EVMS posted by Wes on June 12, 2003 at 17:27:03:
Lieberman Proposes "American Center for Cures" As Pillar of Comprehensive Health Care Plan
(May 21, 2003)
Within a decade, would cut occurrence of chronic diseases by half
WASHINGTON, D.C. As part of a continuing series of major policy initiatives, Joe Lieberman today proposed the creation of a new $150 billion American Center for Cures. The center, which would complement research done at the National Institutes of Health, would speed the development of cures for chronic diseases by increasing funding for clinical trials, award grants to encourage faster drug development, and commission large-scale research across disciplines.
Currently, chronic diseases afflict 100 million Americans, and are responsible for three out of four deaths in America every year. More than a third of the U.S. population is living with a condition for which there is no know cure, from asthma to Alzheimer's, from diabetes to Parkinson's.
"The last century of human history brought us a stunning string of medical advancements," Lieberman said. "But as a few diseases have been conquered, many have eluded us. Today's miracles can become tomorrow's cures -- if we have a plan to make it happen and a President who will persist in pushing that plan until the cures come."
Overall, the center will identify promising new treatments and help translate them into practical cures. It will work with companies that need its assistance not with large pharmaceutical companies that don't. The Center will also help bring down bureaucratic barriers to drug approval faced by small companies, while maintaining safety.
It would also make up for short-term market forces that currently cause drugmakers to invest more in big ticket blockbuster drugs like Viagra or Rogaine than in cures for the diseases which hold less immediate financial promise.
Major components of the new center would include:
NATIONAL CURES LABORATORY
The National Cures Library will spearhead collaborative research across disciplines, pulling together breakthroughs in computer science, engineering, or other disciplines to develop cures. It will be created as a federally funded research and development center, such as RAND or Los Alamos National Laboratory, to operate independently of the government.
HEALTH ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY
Modeled on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the successful research wing of the Pentagon the developed the forerunner to the Internet, HARPA will sponsor through competitive grant programs rapid drug development from leading scientists.
KNOWLEDGE BANK
The Knowledge Bank will help coordinate clinical trials of new treatments and provide resources to scientists by overseeing gene banks, voluntary patient databases, and tissue banks. It would also include a virtual Public Library of Medicine to allow researchers to disseminate findings more readily.
Lieberman laid out an ambitious goal for his plan: to cut the occurrence of chronic diseases by half within a decade.
The initiative proposed by Lieberman today is the first and most ambitious component of his comprehensive four-part health care plan, which will also address coverage, quality and costs. Lieberman will release his complete plan this summer.
"My plan will recognize that, when it comes to building a healthier nation, expanding insurance isn't enough," Lieberman said. "Because the truth is, we don't just need more health care in America today. We need better health care."