Abbott’s plans to aid diabetes research if elected

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJul 4 2010

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott announced last Saturday that he would be rolling out a $35 million funding for a clinical trial network (CTN) to improve the health of Australians with diabetes if he is elected as Prime Minister. The Rudd Governments $5million to the CTN will be supplemented by these funds. “This is one Coalition commitment I would be very happy for the government to match,” he said.

A CTN would provide faster access to new therapies and technologies for diabetics. Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton revealed that about 153 clinical trials are conducted overseas compared to just nine in Australia. He said, “If we are able to give the opportunity to hundreds, if not thousands of children, to see a brighter way forward then I think that's a great outcome for our country…We do have the ultimate goal of wanting to find a cure but in the interim we want to find ways in which we can support kids and their mums and dads who worry anxiously every night.”

Reports reveal that Australia has some of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world. Type 1 diabetes typically starts early sometimes even in childhood and needs to be treated with daily injections of insulin. Around 140,000 Australians have type 1 diabetes, while over 800,000 suffer from both forms i.e. types 1 and 2.

According to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation chief executive Mike Wilson, “We want the best Australian science to move out of the laboratory and into the clinic. This clinical trial network will also help bring international trials to Australia.” He promised that the Foundation will be contributing a further $10 million towards the program.

Mr. Abbott emphasized that this was no political gimmick saying, “I think this is a good cause. I don't think this is a party political issue, I think this is something all of us want to see progressed…I very much hope that despite the fiscal stringency the Government might see its way clear to match this commitment from the Coalition.”