Durbin Meets With ‘I Am ALS’ Founders

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with ‘I Am ALS’ founders and Illinois constituents Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya to discuss increased federal funding for ALS research and the latest developments regarding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) implementation of the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act (ACT for ALS). ACT for ALS directs the NIH and FDA to make grants to clinical trial sites, enabling expanded access to ALS treatments. As a member of the Senate ALS Caucus, Durbin fought to ensure the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus funding included $25 million to get the program up and running. Durbin also spoke in support of increasing funding that boosts defense medical research for ALS.

“I am grateful for Brian and Sandra’s continued advocacy at ‘I Am ALS’ and for their tireless work to expand treatments and support the individuals and families battling ALS,” said Durbin. “In our conversation today, we discussed the importance of ALS research funding—as well as the need for collaborative work between NIH, FDA, and the patient community—in order to help advance our knowledge and bring us closer to finding a cure.”

A photo of the meeting is available here.

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