Government Research Funding

The excuses government leaders give for failing to adequately research ME/CFS can no longer be  tolerated. Every individual is at risk for developing this disabling NeuroEndocrineImmune disease. ME/CFS has languished on crumbs of private funding for decades while other illnesses get as much as 22% more research funding from the government.

The recent Norwegian discovery of dramatic improvement resulting from an anti-lymphoma drug shows that the solution is within reach. The problem is a lack of will, and wrong priorities.

The call from ME/CFS patients is the same across the globe:

• More research funding
• Focus on the biomedical mechanisms

Notice these funding amounts by disease when compared to the prevalence rate.

NIH Budget for 2012 and Disease Prevalence

• Multiple Sclerosis -             $135 million – 500,000 Americans
• Lupus -                              $114 million – 1.5 million Americans
• West Nile Virus -                  $46 million – 3,630 Americans (2007)
• Lyme Disease -                    $25 million – 150,000 Americans (since 1992)
• Fibromyalgia -                        $9 million – 3-6 million Americans
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome -  $6 million – 1 million Americans

NIH Funding: http://report.nih.gov/rcdc/categories/

CDC 2009 Funding Request

• Lyme Disease -                       $5.246 million – 150,000 Americans (since 1992)
• West Nile Virus -                   $19.277 million – 3,630 Americans (2007)
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome -   $4.728 million – 1 million Americans

CDC Budget Request for 2009 http://www.cdc.gov/fmo/PDFs/FY09budgetreqsummary.pdf

Analysis of NIH Funding of ME/CFS, particularly of new studies