The American Federation for Medical Research Says Daschle Must Cure Clinical Research Crisis if Change Is To Take Hold in U.S. Health C...( BOSTON Dec. 11 -- The American Feder...),Health

BOSTON, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Federation for Medical Research (AFMR) announces its full support of Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's appointment to the post of Health and Human Services secretary. Mr. Daschle will serve as President-elect Obama's top administration official to overhaul the nation's health care system.

As a result of its work since 1940, the AFMR believes firmly that improving clinical research in the U.S., which weakened significantly during the Bush administration, is a lynchpin to achieving sustainable change in the U.S. health care system. The AFMR pledges the full support of its human resources, medical expertise and scientific knowledge to Mr. Daschle and the Obama administration for the advancement of clinical research, including its leading U.S. physician members and Nobel laureates who have made significant contributions to modern medicine and patient care through clinical research.

"Medical science and the U.S. health care system cannot progress without clinical research," said Dr. Alan Buchman, president of the AFMR and a prominent physician in gastroenterology. "Yet our nation has neglected the advancement of clinical research -- that which involves patients directly -- which can prevent disease, lead to more effective disease treatments, medical breakthroughs for chronic diseases, and cut the astronomical costs and inefficiencies that plague our health care system. Mr. Daschle has the opportunity to fix this fundamental issue early on, which will have an enormous positive ripple effect on the rest of the health care system," said Buchman.

The U.S. clinical research crisis stems from two primary issues: 1) Federal budget cuts for the NIH, particularly in funds spent on clinical research and the education and training of future clinical investigators and physician-scientists, and 2) Lack of support for future physician-scientists, whos
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