More than 30 million people suffer from migraines—that’s more people than are afflicted with diabetes and asthma combined. But funding for migraine research is still surprisingly low.
Migraine specialists who attended a June American Headache Society meeting in Washington, D.C., say more government funding for migraine research offers the best chance of finally winning the battle against the disease. According to David W. Dodick, MD, president of the American Headache Society, the National Institutes of Health allocates less than $13 million a year to migraine research. He estimates that about $260 million is needed, given the magnitude of the disease.
Nearly 35 percent of migraine specialists surveyed at the conference believe a greater investment of money in the field will lead to new therapies and treatments.
By the Numbers
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the major source of governmental research funding in the United States. In 2007, the NIH granted:
$13 million for migraine research
$294 million for asthma research
$1.037 billion for diabetes research
Source: americanmigrainefoundation.org
