[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16626-16627]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING EFFECTIVE TREATMENT AND ACCESS 
                                TO CARE

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, on behalf of the leader, I ask unanimous 
consent that the HELP Committee be discharged from further 
consideration and the Senate proceed to S. Res. 420.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 420) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate that effective treatment and access to care for 
     individuals with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis should be 
     improved.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 420) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows

                              S. Res. 420

       Whereas psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are serious, 
     chronic, inflammatory, disfiguring, and life-altering 
     diseases that require sophisticated medical intervention and 
     care;

[[Page 16627]]

       Whereas, according to the National Institutes of Health, 
     between 5,800,000 citizens and 7,500,000 citizens of the 
     United States are affected by psoriasis;
       Whereas psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are--
       (1) painful and disabling diseases with no cure; and
       (2) diseases that have a significant and adverse impact on 
     the quality of life of individuals diagnosed with them;
       Whereas studies have indicated that psoriasis may cause as 
     much physical and mental disability as other major diseases, 
     including--
       (1) cancer;
       (2) arthritis;
       (3) hypertension;
       (4) heart disease;
       (5) diabetes; and
       (6) depression;
       Whereas studies have shown that psoriasis is associated 
     with elevated rates of depression and suicidal ideation;
       Whereas citizens of the United States spend between 
     $2,000,000,000 and $3,000,000,000 to treat psoriasis each 
     year;
       Whereas early diagnosis and treatment of psoriatic 
     arthritis may help prevent irreversible joint damage;
       Whereas treating psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis presents 
     a challenge for patients and health care providers because--
       (1) no single treatment works for every patient diagnosed 
     with the disease;
       (2) some treatments lose effectiveness over time; and
       (3) all treatments have the potential to cause a unique set 
     of side effects;
       Whereas, although safer and more effective treatments are 
     now more readily available, many people do not have access to 
     them; and
       Whereas Congress as an institution, and the members of 
     Congress as individuals, are in a unique position to help 
     raise public awareness about the need for increased access to 
     effective treatment options for psoriasis and psoriatic 
     arthritis: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes--
       (A) the need for enhanced public awareness of psoriasis;
       (B) the adverse impact that psoriasis can have on people 
     living with the disease; and
       (C) the importance of an early diagnosis and proper 
     treatment of psoriasis;
       (2) supports the continuing leadership provided by the 
     Director of the National Institutes of Health and the 
     Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and 
     Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for identifying a cure and 
     developing safer, more effective treatments for psoriasis and 
     psoriatic arthritis; and
       (3) encourages--
       (A) researchers to examine the negative psychological and 
     physical effects of psoriasis to better understand its impact 
     on those who have been diagnosed with the disease; and
       (B) efforts to increase access to treatments and care that 
     individuals living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis 
     need and deserve.

                          ____________________