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WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Henry Brown and his colleagues in the United States House of Representatives passed legislation to create a national ALS Registry. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease that strikes almost 5,000 Americans each year. It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans may be living with ALS.
The ALS Registry Act would require the Centers for Disease Control to create a national registry, or database, to compile information about ALS and ALS patients. The purpose of the registry is to identify and compile data on patients to better understand the disease and develop new treatments.
Congressman Brown made the following statement upon passage of the bill:
“I am very pleased that the House passed the ALS Registry Act, a bill that I proudly co-sponsored and supported. This important legislation will provide scientists and ALS patients alike more insight into this terrible disease. Working with my good friend, and ALS patient, Brigadier General Thomas Mikolajcik, I have seen first hand the devastating effects of this disease and it is my hope that one day no one will ever have to suffer from ALS. Thanks in large part to the efforts of General Mik and many others, today Congress took an important step towards achieving that goal.”
In 2006 and 2007 Congress appropriated funds to the Centers for Disease Control to begin compiling the national ALS Registry.
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