Autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases and conditions (herein referred to as “autoimmune diseases”) affect anywhere between 23.5 and 50 million Americans, and recent evidence from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has shown that the prevalence of autoimmune biomarkers is increasing in the United States.
While autoimmune disease research–from basic and clinical to public health research–is being funded by federal research agencies, including the NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Defense (DoD), the increasing presence of autoimmune diseases and conditions combined with the vast needs within autoimmune disease research demonstrate a pressing need to make autoimmune diseases and conditions a greater national priority.
In 2022, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), in response to a congressional directive, released the report “Enhancing NIH Research on Autoimmune Disease.” Within the report, the authors summarized some of the challenges within the autoimmune disease research space. These challenges include the limited data available on the direct and indirect costs of autoimmune diseases and a lack of both epidemiologic data of the U.S. incidence and prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the past 10-20 years and population-based data. To help tackle these needs, NASEM encouraged the creation of an Office of Autoimmune Disease Research within the NIH–advice that was heeded in the final fiscal year 2023 omnibus spending bill. The establishment of this new office, while an important step forward, must be coupled with new streams of targeted investments in autoimmune disease research.
The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), recognizing the tremendous need within the autoimmune disease research space, developed the policy brief, “Prioritizing Federal Research on Autoimmune and Immune-Mediated Diseases and Conditions.” The brief discusses the state of autoimmune disease research at the federal level, reviews where there are opportunities in autoimmune disease research, and provides policy recommendations to improve outcomes.
This brief is one of a four policy brief set being released by SWHR on autoimmune disease policy issues. Read the first brief, “Issues Affecting Health Care Coverage and Access for Women with Autoimmune Diseases and Conditions,” and stay tuned for additional briefs being released this spring.
Support for this educational program has been provided by Horizon Therapeutics. SWHR maintains independence and editorial control over program development, content, and work products.