[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E245-E246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MARTIN DELANEY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 11, 2009

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Martin Delaney 
who passed away in his home in San Rafael, California, on January 23, 
2009, of liver cancer. Mr. Delaney, who was 63, was a leader in AIDS 
activism, especially the movement to represent the needs of HIV 
patients in the drug approval process.
  Although not HIV positive himself, Martin's experience with 
experimental treatments for his Hepatitis B infection and his dismay at 
the

[[Page E246]]

devastating spread of AIDS (including the death of his partner), led 
him to found Project Inform in 1985. Based in San Francisco, Project 
Inform soon became the leading national advocacy organization focusing 
on ensuring that promising anti-retroviral medications reached patients 
quickly and expeditiously. He worked with government officials to 
develop accelerated approval for the drugs as well as to implement 
policies ensuring that those most seriously ill had access to 
treatments before approval.
  Martin served as the director of Project Inform until 2008 and also 
led the Fair Pricing Coalition which negotiates affordable rates for 
HIV medications with the industry. He dedicated himself to educating 
and shaping public policy as well, working with everyone from AIDS 
patients to research scientists to government officials. He is credited 
with saving thousands of lives.
  For his work, Martin was recently given the Director's Special 
Recognition Award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious 
Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health. The award 
was for ``extraordinary contributions to framing the HIV research 
agenda,'' and the Institute's Director, Dr. Anthony S. Faud, M.D. 
stated that Martin ``is a formidable activist and a dear friend. It is 
without hyberbole that I call Marty Delaney a public health hero.''
  Madam Speaker, Martin Delaney is truly a hero. He not only saved 
lives; he also forged a path with his heart, his head, and his 
conviction that he could take action to fight the suffering he 
witnessed. I join people all over this country in mourning his passing.

                          ____________________