Newswise — Washington, D.C. – The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) calls on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to hold a hearing that examines the progress made by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on including more women and minorities in medical research. In addition, SWHR urges greater analysis by these agencies into how diseases and treatments affect women and men differently.
“For nearly 25 years, the Society for Women’s Health Research has been a tireless advocate for more research into biological sex differences in health and medicine. SWHR was a leading force behind the passage of the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act in 1993, which caused the NIH to include more women in medical studies and conduct more research into diseases and conditions that primarily affect women. Despite progress, though, we need to do more to combat health disparities between men and women,” said SWHR President and CEO Phyllis Greenberger.
Greenberger added, “There are a wide range of differences that impact the onset, prevalence and severity of diseases and conditions in women and minorities. It is vitally important that these differences are taken into account so that everyone receives appropriate care. SWHR has long supported greater funding for this research, along with more reporting and analysis by our nation’s health agencies. Congress should help make sure these issues get the attention they deserve, and we ask that they do so by holding this hearing.”
SWHR’s Women and Men: 10 Differences that Make a Difference was cited in a letter from Reps. Henry Waxman and Frank Pallone, Jr., requesting a hearing on this issue. Read the full text of SWHR’s letter to Rep. Fred Upton, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Joe Pitts, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, at SWHR.org.
SWHR is actively inviting other health care stakeholders to join them in this call to action. Interested organizations can review the proposed joint letter at SWHR.org. To sign onto the letter, contact Leslie Ritter, director of government affairs, at [email protected].
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The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), the national thought leader in the study of sex differences in disease, is dedicated to transforming women’s health through science, advocacy and education. SWHR advocates for increased public and private funding for women’s health; greater inclusion of women and minorities in medical studies; and analysis of the biological differences between men and women in disease and health issues. For more information, visit SWHR.org.
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