Support I-182 for biomedical research

With our increasing life expectancies, age-related diseases are becoming more prevalent. Despite the pressing need for research to develop new treatments, there is a lack of adequate support for the research necessary to find cures. The result is a tidal wave of neurological diseases that threatens our well-being and also threatens our financial system. Alzheimer’s disease alone costs more to treat each year than either cancer or heart disease, and yet the only treatment options are palliative, and there has not been a new drug approved for Alzheimer’s by the FDA in over 10 years.

Support for biomedical research in research institutions and universities in Montana and in the rest of the country comes chiefly from the National Institutes of Health, whose mission is to uncover new knowledge that will lead to better health for everyone by helping to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat disease and disability. Unfortunately, the level of funding for research has declined in real dollars over the past decade. From 2003 to 2015, the NIH lost over 20 percent of its capacity to fund research due to budget cuts, sequestration, and inflation. At this point, roughly 90% of NIH grant proposals from biomedical scientists go unfunded. This includes many proposals that are meritorious and worthy of funding as judged by stringent scientific review. The NIH has recognized the quality of research in Montana with grants to many researchers working at state institutions and universities, including several Center of Biomedical Research Excellence program awards. However, for researchers in Montana and throughout the country, this funding has become more and more difficult to obtain, and consequently research progress has been slowed. In response, a number of states have successfully implemented legislative funding measures to help their research institutions continue the work necessary to find cures.   

Proposition 181 would provide a mechanism to support research into neurological diseases at non-profit research institutions, hospitals and universities in Montana. Should the measure pass and the Legislature implement it, a board established by the governor and the Senate would oversee its administration. This board, made up of patient advocates and health professionals from Montana, would commission stringent impartial outside scientific review of research proposals from Montana researchers. Only researchers working in the non-profit state institutions mentioned above would be eligible to apply for these funds, and the state will benefit from all patents, royalties and licenses resulting from the grants. The costs to implement the measure are significant, but they represent a small fraction of the state costs for treatment of neurological diseases over the 10-year period of the initiative. The legislature would also have the power to reduce funding or change the period of the program. Among the benefits to Montanans are the expansion of Montana’s research infrastructure, enhanced educational opportunities for students wishing to pursue careers in health care and research, and the expansion of opportunities for patients with diseases like Alzheimer’s to participate in clinical trials that currently require out-of-state travel. 

Please consider supporting proposition 181 for biomedical research in Montana.

Walter Peschel, M.D.

Missoula

Michael Kavanaugh, Ph.D.

Missoula