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Government Relations: Introduction to Government Relations
The Defense Department Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program
Working with key Members of Congress, the PKD Foundation was successful in adding PKD to the list of diseases eligible for research funding from an important U.S. Defense Department initiative the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, this program will fund $50 million for disease specific research focused on maladies such as blood-related cancers, childhood cancers, childhood asthma, diabetes, eye and vision research, osteoporosis and bone-related diseases and several other illnesses. For the first time, PKD was included on this list.
The Foundation especially thanks U.S. Rep. C.W. “Bill” Young of Florida’s 10th Congressional District (St. Petersburg and Largo areas) and his staff for getting PKD included in the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program for 2006.
Why would the Defense Department fund PKD research?
Finding a cure for PKD would be invaluable to the military. PKD affects 1 in 500 people in the United States, and our data shows the prevalence rate of PKD within the military is at least the same. Considering that there are 2.2 million active and reserve troops and no screening done for PKD, some 4,400 troops may have the disease.
Most of those 4,400 entered military service in their late teens or early 20s. The Armed Forces spent a tremendous amount of time and resources training those young people so they could perform their duties. The military will probably see 20-plus years of service from these individuals before the full affects of the disease are apparent, and they develop End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD or kidney failure), which will lead to costly kidney transplants or dialysis.
Since PKD is a genetic disease, every child of a couple with one parent affected has a 50 percent chance of developing PKD. The cost of medicines and dialysis for all PKD patients that progress to kidney failure and eventual transplantation runs approximately $20 million annually. To cure PKD would result in savings to the military of $20 million per year. The decreased need for organs for transplantation for PKD patients with ESRD would increase availability of the sparse organ supply for others.
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