Functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders (FGIMDs) affect individuals of all ages, including children, and these conditions can range in severity from discomforting to life-changing or life-threatening. Most FGIMDs are chronic and require a lifetime of care to manage painful and disabling symptoms.
Despite the severity of FGIMDs and the high healthcare costs associated with addressing these conditions, little is understood scientifically and treatment options are extremely limited. This leads to a situation where conditions are often misdiagnosed, mistreated, or under-reported.
In addition, the lack of effective treatment options disrupts employment, educational, and social opportunities for patients, forcing some onto disability and leading to substantial lost potential for both the individual and society.
You can Take Action for Digestive Health
Every two years in January a new Congress begins with new legislation to consider. Bills introduced in the previous Congress but not acted upon or passed can be reintroduced in the new Congress (often with a new number).
Then the legislation process starts over again. Once reintroduced, we need YOU to take action on The Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Ehnhancement Act to get it passed.
Learn how to take action for this critical piece of legislation.
Members of Congress Can Help
Congressional support is needed for the Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act to see that this important legislation is ultimately passed into law.
The Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act seeks to advance our scientific understanding of FGIMDs and improve treatment options for patients by:
- Implementing the research recommendations of the National Commission on Digestive Diseases, to expand the FGIMDs research portfolio at the NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. These research recommendations largely focus on improving basic understanding of these conditions and their underlying mechanisms so that both diagnosis and treatment can advance.
- Exploring opportunities for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to partner with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to increase research and improve patient care regarding FGIMDs that commonly impact veterans and active duty military personnel.
- Expanding emerging research activities into pediatric FGIMDs through partnerships with other NIH Institutes and Centers. In addition to being painful, debilitating, and in some cases fatal, many FGIMDs emerge during childhood and persist into adulthood. Being able to accurately diagnose and treat these conditions during childhood can potentially offset a lifetime of suffering and high healthcare expenses.
- Stimulating treatment development by calling on FDA to expand and advance efforts to craft guidance for industry that establishes a formal process for the review, approval, and monitoring of new drugs for the treatment of FGIMDs.
