July 2008 Advocacy Update

Senate Seeks to Add Additional $5.2 Billion in FY 2008 NIH Funding
Prior to adjourning for the July 4 recess, Congress gave final approval to legislation (H.R. 2642) that provides funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As reported in a previous Update, this FY 2008 supplemental appropriations bill also includes $150 million in additional FY 2008 funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Seeking to building on this victory, Senator Harkin and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-PA), introduced an additional FY 2008 supplemental funding measure on July 16 to provide NIH with another $5.2 billion in FY 2008 funding. The bill, S. 3272, would provide the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with $1.2 billion of the proposed funding and allocate the remaining $4 billion to the other institutes at NIH. According to Senators Specter and Harkin, the "supplemental seeks to reestablish NIH funding at levels consistent with inflation and provide the Institutes with the resources to discover cures for cancer and other maladies."

Timing for consideration of this supplemental funding bill has not been announced, though Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has indicated that he would like the Senate to consider a comprehensive domestic supplemental spending bill prior to the August congressional break.

FY 2009 NIH Funding Process Stalls
Congressional leaders had hoped to make significant progress on FY 2009 spending bills, including legislation to fund the NIH and other Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies in FY 2009.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a draft FY 2009 Labor-HHS spending bill on June 26 that includes a $1.025 billion increase for NIH above the current year's funding level and President Bush's FY 2009 budget request of $29.3 billion. However, a House Appropriations Committee markup of its version of the FY 2009 Labor-HHS appropriations bill was ended abruptly amid a partisan dispute over an unrelated bill. House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) has since indicated that, as a result of the partisan divide, there will likely not be any additional House action on FY 2009 spending bills, including the House Labor-HHS bill. The version of the bill being considered by the House Committee was approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on June 19 and includes $30.380 billion for NIH, an increase of $1.150 billion (approximately 3.9 percent) over FY 2008 and the President's budget, and $125 million more than the Senate bill.

Because of the breakdown of the process in the House, it is widely expected that final FY 2009 appropriations bills – including Labor-HHS – will not get completed this year and will be postponed until the next Congress.

ASH is continuing its advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill throughout the FY 2009 appropriations debate and encourages all members to take action to support increased funding for NIH. Advocacy by the research community is making a difference in securing funding for NIH, and ASH thanks everyone who has participated in the Society's advocacy efforts.

Congress Overrides President's Veto to Pass Medicare Legislation
Both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate voted to override the President's veto of H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. The final vote in the Senate was 70-26, a much narrower margin than in the House of Representatives, where the vote was 383-41. Each chamber succeeded in obtaining more than the required two-thirds majority to pass the law over the President's objections. This was a bipartisan effort to preserve patient access to care, and H.R. 6331 will now become law.

The legislation specifies that the 0.5 percent payment update for the remainder of 2008 becomes effective July 1. Information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on claims processing and payment adjustment issues will be posted on the ASH Web site. The money for physician payment will be taken from the Medicare Advantage program, which subsidizes private insurers to cover beneficiaries who otherwise would be treated through the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program.

NHLBI Announces Appointment of W. Keith Hoots, MD, to Lead Division of Blood Diseases and Resources
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Director, Elizabeth Nabel, MD, has announced that W. Keith Hoots, MD, will assume the position of Senior Advisor to the Director for Blood Diseases at NHLBI effective January 5, 2009. In this capacity, Dr. Hoots will serve as liaison to NHLBI's Division of Blood Diseases and Resources. Additional information on Dr. Hoots' appointment can be found on the ASH Web site.

Upcoming NIDDK Workshop to Focus on EpoR and Iron Overload
The Hematology Program of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) will be hosting two upcoming workshops that may be of interest to ASH members.

The first, a two-day Workshop on Erythropoietin (EpoR) Expression and Function in Non-Hematopoietic Tissues, will be held in Bethesda, MD, at the Doubletree Bethesda Hotel Meeting Center on September 8 and 9, 2008. This workshop will address evolving insights into the distribution and function of EpoR in non-hematopoietic tissues. The workshop will summarize clinical observations of non-hematopoietic erythropoietin (Epo) effects in patients with renal failure and solid tumors, and it will review experimental and clinical findings of Epo effects on the development, growth, and function of vascular endothelial cells, neoplasias, and cardiovascular and neural tissues.

The second workshop will be a two-day workshop on Iron Overload: Mechanisms, Measurement, and Management. This event will be held at The Historic Inns of Annapolis in Annapolis, MD, on October 27 and 28, 2008, and will address evolving insights into genetic determinants and molecular mechanisms that promote iron overload. The workshop will also review advances in the non-invasive, organ-specific clinical measurement of iron overload and current state-of-the art in the prevention and treatment of iron overload.

The programs at each workshop will include presentations by both invited speakers and speakers selected from submitted abstracts, together with poster presentations. Both workshops are designed to promote interactions and discussion among workshop participants and to define key unanswered questions and highlight priorities and directions for future research. A limited number of travel grants will be made available to registrants whose abstracts are selected for oral presentations at the workshops. Space will be limited, and so early registration is encouraged. Registrants who submit abstracts for presentation will be given preference if the number of registrants exceeds available space.

Individuals who wish to attend either of these workshops may either register online or contact Amy Amerson of the Scientific Consulting Group at 301-670-4990.

PhRMA Issues Revised Guidelines on Manufacturer Interactions With Health Care Professionals
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) announced new voluntary guidelines. The organization's revised Code on Interactions with Health-Care Professionals asks pharmaceutical companies to set annual limits on the amount they will pay physicians to give educational lectures. The code does not specify the amount of the limit. The guidelines, which will take effect in January 2009, reinforce responsible relationships between providers and manufacturers and do not affect biotechnology firms or medical device suppliers.