Text of the 2005 Wiley Lecture
DANBURY, CT-----Abbey Meyers, president of the National Organization for Rare Disorders
(NORD), has been named the recipient of the 2005 Harvey W. Wiley Award and Lectureship.
Each year, this honor is bestowed upon a public figure who has carried on work
begun by the man often called the "Father of the Pure Food and Drugs Act".
That man - Harvey W. Wiley - served as chief chemist in the U.S. Department
of Agriculture from 1882 to 1912. He was a tireless crusader for consumer safety,
and it was under his watch in 1906 that federal legislation was passed (the
Pure Food and Drugs Act) setting the stage for today's Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
Born in a log farmhouse in Indiana, Wiley arrived in Washington, DC, at a time
when the public was largely unprotected against impurities and misbranding of
foods and drugs. He quickly became known as a crusader for legislation to protect
the public from adulterated foods and drugs.
Meyers, who also has crusaded for consumer protections in medical research
and treatment, was honored at a ceremony on April 6 at the Loews L'Enfant
Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC. The event took place during the annual meeting
of the Food and Drug Administration Alumni Association (FDAAA), sponsor of the
Wiley Award, and in conjunction with the annual conference of the Food and Drug
Law Institute (FDLI).
She presented a talk, the "Harvey W. Wiley Lecture", at the
ceremony. Also speaking was Dr. Lester Crawford, recently nominated by President
Bush to become Commissioner of the FDA.
Meyers is considered the primary consumer advocate responsible for passage
of the Orphan Drug Act in 1983, providing incentives for companies
to develop new treatments for rare diseases. As NORD's president, she
spearheads efforts by patient organizations to work with federal agencies, academic
researchers, and clinicians to improve the lives of people affected by rare
diseases.
NORD, a non-profit organization, provides information to patients, their families,
the public, and medical professionals. It also provides advocacy on issues related
to rare diseases, administers research grants and fellowships, and assists needy
patients in obtaining certain medications. NORD maintains a Web site at www.rarediseases.org.
Meyers has served as the consumer representative on the National Commission
on Orphan Diseases, the NIH Human Gene Therapy Subcommittee, the NIH Recombinant
DNA Advisory Committee, the FDA Biological Response Modifiers Committee, and
the National Human Research Protections Advisory Committee of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services.
Check here to read about events on Capitol Hill, funding for rare-disease research, and other topics of interest from NORD's office in Washington, DC.