Properly fund the NIH

Dear [ Lawmaker NAME],

Medical research pioneers many critical advances helping all Americans live longer, healthier lives. Since its inception in 1887, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been at the forefront of discovering new courses of treatment for patients. Funding medical research today pays a lifetime of dividends in saving lives, promoting better health outcomes, and improving the quality of life for all Americans. Nearly every test, treatment, or cure used today in health care can be traced back to NIH-funded research at academic medical centers and other labs nationwide. It is more important than ever to ensure that this critical agency can continue to support both the health of Americans and regional and local economies.

For example, NIH-funded cancer research has contributed to saving almost 3.8 million lives since 1991. Additionally, the discovery of the gene-editing technique CRISPR could make chemotherapy less toxic.

The research NIH funds leads to better outcomes for patients and is a key economic driver in the US. In fact, NIH-funded research has led to:

• 488 clinical trials and more than 70 active pharmacological trials to treat Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
• Each of the 356 new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2010 and 2019.
• A 56% decrease in the rate of heart attack deaths per 100,000 people between 1999 and 2020.
• Cutting-edge and life-saving innovations in care and treatment, including cell-based gene therapies for treatment of sickle cell disease, immunotherapies for lung cancer and leukemia, ways to determine the effectiveness of chemotherapy on breast cancer, and advancements in cochlear implants and liver transplants.
• A 90% decrease in the number of children perinatally infected with HIV.

Over the years, not only has the strong bipartisan investment in NIH saved lives, it also has resulted in strong, steady economic development. Growing the NIH is a smart investment. NIH-funded research generates high-quality jobs and business development in every state across the country, including ours, and enhances U.S. global competitiveness. More than 80% of the funding NIH receives is awarded to more than 300,000 researchers at over 2,500 universities and research institutions across the U.S., and nearly 60% of all extramural research is conducted by the nation’s medical schools and academic health systems and hospitals.

We hope we can count on your support of this crucial agency and ensure that the NIH gets the funding it needs to continue to save lives.

Sincerely,

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