APA Services joined the brain health community in a letter to the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies (PDF, 161KB)opens in new window urging $5 million in funding as proposed by the Senate Appropriations Committee for the FDA’s Neurology Drug Program. This sum will allow the FDA to “develop the expertise to develop policies and guidance that keep pace with emerging brain science and speed the development of safe and effective treatments for brain diseases and conditions.” This proposed $3 million increase will allow the advancement of discoveries in brain injuries, neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric areas of brain health, among other conditions.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 1 in 5 adults live with a neurological illness. The personal and economic toll of brain diseases and conditions cost the U.S. economy more than $1.5 trillion a yearopens in new window beyond the direct health care costs. This includes the “societal and economic ramifications arising from disease and disability, the accessibility of medical services, and other public health challenges.”
The federal government is currently operating under a temporary funding agreement, known as a continuing resolution, until December 20, 2024, as Congress is working to conference proposed House and Senate legislation to fund the research and science in fiscal year 2025. APA Services will continue to work to support federal research funding to address the “substantial challenges posed by brain diseases, injuries, and mental health conditions.”
For more information, contact Angela L. Sharpe.