[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 156 (Tuesday, October 16, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ABBEY MEYERS

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                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 16, 2007

  Mr. WAXMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a selfless and a 
truly great American. For more than 20 years Abbey Meyers has been the 
voice of people in this country with rare diseases. She has helped 
establish national policy that has improved the lives of countless 
patients. Before Abbey Meyers began this important work, these patients 
had no advocate in Washington. Today no one is more effective in 
advocating on their behalf.
  The patients for whom Abbey Meyers works have one of more than 1,000 
diseases, diseases that are not known to most people. Because the 
populations are so small, before 1980 drug companies did virtually no 
research to find cures for rare diseases, even though these diseases 
are devastating for afflicted patients and their families.
  In 1983 Congress enacted the Orphan Drug Act, which provided 
incentives to drug companies to invest in drugs for rare diseases. 
Since that time the Food and Drug Administration has approved 
approximately 200 orphan drugs; another 1000 drugs have been designated 
for orphan drug research. I believe that most of this work would never 
have been done without Abbey Meyers and the organization that she 
established in 1983, the National Organization of Rare Disorders 
(NORD).
  Abbey Meyers's success is due to her enormous skills in assisting 
patients in navigating the political world in Washington and in 
mastering complex scientific issues. Abbey Meyers and NORD support more 
than 2,000 patient organizations. She is a frequent witness on Capitol 
Hill on health policy issues. And she has had a significant influence 
on research into pharmaceuticals for rare disease.
  Recently Abbey Meyers has announced that she will retire as President 
of NORD. It is hard to imagine resolving major public health issues 
without her input. While we wish Abbey a joyful retirement, we know 
with near certainty that she will never stop thinking about what 
policies will best benefit patients in this country, and we will 
continue to benefit from her commitment and knowledge.

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