[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 102 (Friday, July 28, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE DRUG, LUCENTIS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 28, 2006

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I sent the attached letter to the Director 
of the National Eye Institute, inquiring about the role of publicly 
funded research in the development of the drug on July 12, 2005.
                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                    Washington, DC, July 12, 2006.
     Dr. Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D.
     Director, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of 
         Health, Bethesda, Maryland
       Dear Dr. Sieving: I write to request your assistance in 
     understanding NIH's contribution to research and development 
     of the drug, Lucentis. According to your website, ``the NEI 
     alone has spent nearly $95 million and has sponsored more 
     than 300 research studies that have investigated 
     neovascularization in the eye.'' The studies have 
     ``discovered specific biological pathways and proteins that 
     trigger the growth of new blood vessels.'' Specifically, a 
     protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was 
     found to be ``important in the growth of new blood vessels in 
     retinal degenerative diseases such as advanced AMD. The 
     abnormal blood vessels leak blood and fluid, causing severe 
     vision loss.'' Subsequently, ``several pharmaceutical 
     companies began developing anti-VEGF therapies.''
       Please provide a detailed overview of the research NIH has 
     funded in this area. Please also indicate whether NIH 
     supported any of the research that led to the Lucentis 
     patents, or any of the research that was undertaken by 
     Genentech or partners, including support for clinical 
     testing, related to Lucentis. The intent is not to be able to 
     review the findings of each of the relevant studies. Rather, 
     it is to understand the role and contribution of NIH in the 
     development of this important product.
       Thank you for your assistance and your time.
           Sincerely,
                                               Dennis J. Kucinich,
     Member of Congress.

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