2008-03-01

ASH Fights Shortfall in President Bush's NIH Budget

On Monday, February 4, President Bush released his fiscal year (FY) 2009 budget proposal, which included $29.3 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). By means of comparison, the final FY 2008 funding bill that passed in December 2007 contained $28.942 billion in funding for NIH.

The President's budget request is a starting point for the annual budget process, and Congress will begin its hearings and debate. ASH will implement advocacy efforts during the FY 2009 budget debate and encourages all members to "Take Action."

March is DVT Awareness Month

March is Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Awareness Month. ASH is working with several advocacy coalitions, the U.S. Surgeon General's office, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on efforts to increase public awareness of DVT as a major public health problem, and as an area of exciting new developments in both clinical and basic research.

NIH Sets FY 2008 Fiscal Policy for Grant Support

The NIH set its FY 2008 policy for grant support based on the final FY 2008 appropriations legislation that was enacted in December. Because Congress increased NIH's budgetary support by only 1 percent, NIH is not able to fully cover its 3 percent inflation commitment for non-competing research awards. Meanwhile, competing research award grant sizes may increase by 1 percent in accordance with the legislated increase.

NIH's policy requires each Institute and Center to "use its own discretion to allocate the (1 percent) adjustment among its non-competing research grants." However, the policy does not apply to Career Development Awards, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Awards, and Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Fellowships and Training Grants. For non-competing grants awarded during the continuing resolution (awarded at approximately 80 percent of the previously committed level), NIH will revise the amounts to reflect the new policy.

NIH estimates the FY 2008 appropriation should provide for 9,700 new and competing research project grants. In addition, NIH plans to retain the same number of new investigators as averaged in the past five years, continue the NIH Director's Innovator Awards and NIH Pathway to Independence Awards, and utilize the NIH Director's Bridge Award Program "to help balance the grant cycling variation challenges and support other approaches to sustain established grantees and first-time competing renewals."

FDA to Re-Examine Safety of ESAs

As this issue of The Hematologist was going to press, the FDA announced that its Oncology Drug Advisory Committee (ODAC) will be having a meeting on March 13 to discuss data concerning the safety of ESAs. ASH will be testifying at this meeting. Also, ASH has developed several resources for practitioners concerning use and coverage of ESAs. The "Use of Epoetin and Darbepoetin in Patients with Cancer: 2007 American Society of Hematology/American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update" and ASH's free Quick-Reference Pocket Guide summarizing the guideline can be found in the "Practice Resources" section of the ASH Web site. ASH's Model Policy on MDS for Local Medicare Carriers is available online. For more information concerning new reporting requirements on Medicare claims for the administration of ESAs, visit the Policy and Practice News section of the ASH Web site.

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