Proposed Budget Increase for NCI Is Below Expected Rate of Inflation

WASHINGTON--President Clinton has asked Congress to approve $2.217 billionin funding for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in fiscal year 1998,which begins next Oct. 1.

The President's request would increase the institute's budget by $61million, or 2.82%, above the sum Congress approved for fiscal year 1997.However, the $61 million increase--if not raised by the Congress--wouldfail to match the anticipated inflation rate of 3%.

Comments from several influential members of Congress suggest that NCIwill get an even larger increase than sought by the White House.

Research funds in NCI's proposed budget include breast cancer, $328.8million; lung, $128.2; prostate, $77.5 million; cervical, $56 million;ovarian, $40.6 million; and uterine, $9 million.

The Clinton Administration budget includes full funding for NCI to continuesupporting contracts for the ASSIST antismoking campaign. This collaborativeeffort by the institute, the American Cancer Society, state and local healthdepartments, and other voluntary organizations is taking steps to developcomprehensive smoking control programs in 17 states.

President Clinton proposed raising the total NIH budget by $337 million,or 2.6%, to $13.1 billion. Sen. Connie Mack (R-Fla), who would like tosee the NIH budget doubled over the next five years (see News in Briefitem below), called the proposed hike "paltry" and "absolutelyunacceptable."

The proposed budget would also give Medicare recipients coverage forcancer screenings such as mammograms and colon examinations.

The President offered a budget for the National Institute of Allergyand Infectious Diseases of $634 million, an increase of $25 million (4.1%).

AIDS Vaccine Research Increased

Overall, the NIH budget for AIDS research would rise by 2.6% to $1.54billion, which includes what HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala, PhD, called"a substantial increase in funding for AIDS vaccine research."

The proposed $2.3 billion budget for the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention includes $634 million for AIDS prevention, a $17 millionincrease.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) budget would rise by $69 millionto $1.064 billion.

This includes $244 million to come from users fees paid by pharmaceuticalcompanies to help fund the drug approval process; fees paid by mammographycenters for required inspections; and new users fees that would cover partsof the pre- and postmarket work in food, human drugs, biologics, animalsdrugs, and devices.