FEBRUARY 2010
FY2011 budget proposal emphasizes cancer research
President Obama recently recommended that Congress boost funding for biomedical research by $1 billion in fiscal year 2011, with special emphasis on funding "bold and innovative" cancer research.
The $1 billion increase proposed within the president's annual budget, would raise the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget to $32.09 billion, a 3.2 percent increase over FY2010, including $6 billion devoted to cancer research across the NIH, to facilitate 30 new drug trials and double the number of therapies and vaccines in clinical trials by 2016. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) would receive an increase of $161 million, a 3.16 percent increase that would bring its total to $5.26 billion.
Other key items in the budget include $2.5 billion for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an increase of $148 million, or 6.26 percent, over FY 2010; $110 million for health information technology; and $286 million to expand comparative effectiveness research through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Following the document's release on Feb. 1, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius acknowledged the biomedical community's concerns about a "cliff” scenario that could threaten the progress of NIH-supported research if federal funding is not sustained following the $10 billion, two-year investment through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Asking the community to bear in mind the nation's thorny fiscal situation, Secretary Sebelius said that the $1 billion increase for the NIH serves as a strong demonstration of the president's continuing commitment to scientific advancement. She also rationalized that some of the ARRA research and construction grants will extend dollars beyond the two-year time frame into FY2011 and beyond.
As Congress gears up for months of debate on appropriations, using the president's proposal as a starting point to determine the nation's ultimate funding priorities, the biomedical research community hopes that the president's numbers will be viewed by legislators as a starting point for greater expansion.
Fearing the progress and innovation begun under the Recovery Act could come to a halt or be reversed without a significant investment, the AACR and One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC), a broad coalition of more than 40 cancer-related organizations, will advocate a $4.2 billion increase for NIH, which is equal to half of the two-year ARRA research funding. The AACR will also advocate a total of $5.795 billion for NCI. Other research organizations have announced support for similar numbers.
The next step in the budget process is for House and Senate Budget Committees to develop a "budget resolution" which divides spending totals into broad functional categories. Congress is supposed to approve the resolution by April 15, but it often misses that deadline.
Fiscal Year 2011 Proposed Investments in Biomedical Research:
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FY2010
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FY2011
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Appropriation
(in millions)
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President's Proposal
(in millions)
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OVAC Recommendation
(in millions)
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NIH
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$31,008
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$32,007
(3.2% increase)
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$35,210
(13.5% increase)
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NCI
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$5,103
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$5,265
(3.2% increase)
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$5,795
(13.5% increase)
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CDC Cancer Programs
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$475
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$456
(3.9% decrease)
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$601
(13.5% increase)
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FDA
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$2,357
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$2,508
(6% increase)
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$2,857
(13.5% increase)
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Links:
Read More from the February 2010 Edition of the AACR Cancer Policy Monitor:
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