"Psoriasis Cure Now," a national nonprofit patient group that works on behalf of the psoriasis community, today named Rep. Ralph Regula of Ohio one of its three "Health Care Advocates of the Year" for 2005. The other recipients are Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.

Congressman Regula and the other recipients were instrumental in putting Congress on record in support of increased federal research for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Psoriasis research funding has traditionally lagged behind other research areas, receiving just $6.5 million last year out of a federal medical research budget at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) approaching $30 billion.

"Congressman Regula's leadership in support of biomedical research is well-known, and for good reason," said Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now. "As Chairman of the House Subcommittee that crafts the budget for the National Institutes of Health, he requested the first psoriasis-related Congressional testimony in years, and then made sure that psoriasis was included among those diseases that merit increased attention. This will speed the search for a cure for the as many as 7.5 million Americans with psoriasis, an estimated 270,000 of whom live in Ohio."

"The National Institutes of Health plays an important role in medical discoveries that improve people's health and save lives," said Congressman Regula (Ohio-16). "I am pleased that, together with the support of my colleagues, we have been able to direct some of NIH's focus towards this disease which affects millions of Americans."

Psoriasis is an incurable, recurring disease of the immune system that can first strike at any age, causing dry, painful skin lesions that can crack, bleed and itch. Many people with psoriasis also have psoriatic arthritis, a chronic, progressive and debilitating inflammatory disease that often causes joint pain, stiffness and swelling, as well as bone damage. Studies this year found a higher incidence of autism in children of mothers with psoriasis, and a higher incidence of cardiovascular death among patients with severe psoriasis. People with psoriasis also have higher rates of depression and suicidal ideation. Leading psoriasis researchers at Case Western Reserve University would be among those who could seek additional grants if the NIH increased psoriasis research funding.

"We are grateful to Representative Regula and his superb staff for their hard work on behalf of psoriasis patients," Paranzino added.

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Editors Note: A high-resolution photo of Rep. Regula accepting his award can be downloaded from this address: http://www.psorcurenow.org/2005awardphotos.php

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