MEDICAL RESEARCH SAVES LIVES

Each of us has been touched by disease, whether as a patient, a caregiver, or a loved one. From cancer to stroke to opioid addiction to Alzheimer’s disease, no community or family has been left unaffected.

Every minute, someone in the U.S. dies of cancer and is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke. But discoveries emerging from NIH-funded research have led to new ways to treat, diagnose, and prevent illness, improving health and extending and saving lives.

The return on investment in medical research is exponential. Consider these examples of the impact of NIH-funded therapies on the health and well-being of patients:

  • Thanks to recent advancements in gene therapy and decades of NIH-funded research, sickle cell disease is now the first common genetic disorder to have been cured in some patients.

DISEASE-SPECIFIC OVERVIEWS

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Steady funding increases for the NIH are essential to driving progress against deadly and debilitating diseases, including:
  • NIH supported years of basic research and clinical studies which produced a cancer therapy breakthrough – immunotherapy – a type of treatment that unleashes the body’s immune system to fight cancer. To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved more than 35 different immunotherapies for patients with different types of cancers.
  • NIH has invested more than $2 billion to date to tackle the national opioid overdose crisis through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative. The HEAL initiative supports research aimed at improving treatments for chronic pain, opioid use prevention and overdose, and sustainable recovery.
  • The NIH is currently supporting 461 active clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. These prevention and intervention trials explore a wide variety of drug and mechanistic targets.

But medical advances don’t start and stop with the flip of a switch. They require continued year-over-year investments. 

INVESTING IN NIH ALLOWS US TO:

Live longer, healthier, more productive lives.

Scientific breakthroughs generated by NIH-supported research are behind many of the gains the U.S. has enjoyed in health and longevity over the last century. Average life expectancy has more than doubled since 1900, cancer deaths have dropped by 33 percent over the last three decades, and HIV has been transformed from a death sentence into a manageable chronic disease. But sustained progress requires sustained investment.

Curb future healthcare spending.

There is no greater economic catalyst than saving, extending, and improving lives. Consider that Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias will cost the nation an estimated $360 billion in 2024 and, without a breakthrough treatment or cure, that cost will grow to nearly $1 trillion in 2050. As the baby boomer generation ages, the strain on our health care system, families, and federal spending – particularly through Medicare and Medicaid – threatens to bankrupt the nation.

Protect against international health threats.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, NIH institutes and centers rapidly ramped-up research on therapies, diagnostics, and vaccines, coordinating efforts across U.S. and foreign governments, academia, and industry through the ACTiv partnership. During the pandemic, NIH conducted and supported research that helped produce life-saving vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostic tests in record time.

Maintain global leadership.

The U.S. biomedical enterprise, led by the NIH, sets the standard for discovery and innovation excellence for the rest of the world. But while global investments in science are increasing, the United States’ share is shrinking. In 2000, nearly 40 cents of each dollar used for R&D was spent in the U.S. By 2017, the U.S. portion was down to 25 cents. Soon, China will outspend the U.S. dollar for dollar in R&D.

The cost is billions, the return is trillions, and it is priceless to patients and their families.

Read More:

10 Things You Need to Know
About the NIH
The Critical Role of Investigating in NIH to boost health and lower costs