As part of the Clinton Administration's efforts to support research on the
illnesses reported by Gulf War veterans, the Department of Defense today
requested proposals for independent research studies from non-Federal agencies
and academic institutions on possible causes and treatment of Gulf War
veterans' illnesses. The U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command
(USAMRMC) released the request for research proposals on behalf of the
Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services.
"The Federal government has a responsibility to make every effort to respond to
the needs of American veterans and soldiers," said President Clinton. "We are
working hard to make sure that treatment and extensive research for veterans
will not be delayed as it was for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange.
The Department of Defense is taking the right steps in actively pursuing new
research efforts."
To that end, proposals are being requested from non-Federal applicants
including universities, hospitals, and research institutions on:
. epidemiological studies of health problems of Persian Gulf veterans related
to their service in the Gulf War,
. health effects of pyridostigmine bromide use alone and in combination with
other chemicals,
. clinical studies and other research on the causes, modes of transmission and
appropriate treatments for Gulf War-related illnesses.
In October 1994, President Clinton signed into law legislation (Public Law
103-337, Section 722) which provides for this independent and
competitively-bid, peer-reviewed research on the possible health consequences
of service in Southwest Asia during the Persian Gulf War. Five million dollars
have been allocated for this research.
News media representatives may obtain a summary of the announcement from the
Directorate for Defense Information, Pentagon, Room 2E765. Interested
researchers and all others may obtain copies from Headquarters, USAMRMC, ATTN:
MCMR-ACQ-BA (PGI), Fort Detrick, Md., 21702-5012 or refer to the Commerce
Business Daily.
