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Cures Acceleration Network Update
The Cures Acceleration Network (CAN), a key component of health reform legislation, aims to speed up the development of new drugs and therapies.

The bill authorizes Congress to appropriate up to $500 million to establish CAN in the Office of the Director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Parkinson's community has been a leader on this issue in Washington, DC, and it is heartening to see a level of support for this program that unites patient advocacy organizations, biotech companies, research institutions, and NIH itself. PAN gathered 81 organizations for a letter to Senate appropriators, showing robust community support for $500 million in funding CAN.

On May 5, NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., testified before the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and had this to say about CAN:

"From my perspective, this is one of the five themes that I published in Science Magazine as being most worthy of high priority attention. The Cures Acceleration Network fits very nicely into that but provides some additional flexibility. So this is a very high priority for us."

Please stay tuned to PAN Action Alerts as the appropriations process continues in Congress - your help will be needed to secure funding for cutting-edge research into the next generation of treatments and cures for Parkinson's and other diseases.