Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation to support 2010 National PF Week

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) today expressed its support for the 2010 National Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week activities, to be held from September 11-18, 2010 in Washington D.C.  National PF Week has been held annually since 2003, and seeks to raises awareness of pulmonary fibrosis with Members of Congress and their staffs, as well as local and national media.

"This is a critically important year for the patients, families, caregivers, and physicians affiliated with the PFF to actively participate in our advocacy efforts during Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week", said Daniel Rose, MD, President of the PFF.  "The introduction of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement Act (PFREA, or S. 3703) in the U.S. Senate by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) is an important step towards seeking new understanding of pulmonary fibrosis and find new treatments for this severe disease by establishing the first national patient registry."

A companion Act (H.R. 1079) was introduced in the House of Representatives this year by Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) and Mike Castle (R-DE).  H.R. 1079 has gained significant bi-partisan support, and currently has 136 bipartisan co-sponsors.

Both Houses of Congress have previously passed legislation expressing the need for increased attention and research funding in pulmonary fibrosis. Concurrent resolutions H. Con. Res. 182 (House) and Sen. Con. Res. 42 (Senate) were passed during the 108^th Congress in 2007. The PFREA would be the first legislation of its kind to specifically authorize funding to achieve the goals of each House's concurrent resolution.

"Now is the time for our membership to take action on this important legislation," said Leanne Storch, Executive Director of the PFF.  "The simple act of calling or emailing your Member of Congress to ask for their support of S. 3703 and H.R. 1079 can have a substantial impact on the success of this Bill, while supporting the goals of PF Awareness Week."

Both bills are in need of new co-sponsors to ensure passage in the current session of Congress, which ends on October 8, 2010.