Act Now to Support the Special Diabetes Program Renewal

Action Alert: Time to duck into a phone booth and emerge in your superhero costume complete with cape! The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is reaching out with a time-sensitive update on the Special Diabetes Program (SDP). They’re enlisting the help of people with T1D and/or their loved ones. Ready to be a hero? All we have to do is contact our representative in the U.S. House of Representatives to ask if he or she will sign onto the SDP letter of support being circulated by Representatives Diane DeGette (D, Colorado) and Gus Bilirakis (R, Florida).

Where we are…

Earlier this spring, 60 U.S. Senators signed a letter of support for the SDP. This bipartisan effort signaled to Senate leadership that there is strong (and broad) support for renewing type one diabetes (T1D) research funding.

Now, it’s time to shore up support in the House of Representatives. As of today, 209 members of the U.S. House have signed the letter in support of the SDP.

Even if you have already contacted your representative, please reach out again. Any communication in support of the SDP funding strengthens its likelihood of renewal. We are fortunate to have made advances in T1D management, and we need to build on that success to move closer to a cure.

Why it matters…

Established in 1997, the SDP has delivered research breakthroughs and care improvements in the management of T1D. To date, the program has amounted to $3.4 billion in T1D research dollars. It is currently funded at $150 million annually through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). SDP funding expires on September 30, 2023, and we are advocating for its renewal.  Let’s make sure it continues!

What the SDP does for people living with T1D…

The SDP has been central to recent advances, including, but not limited to:

• Artificial pancreas systems
• A newly approved therapy that delays T1D onset
• Clinical trials

The Federal government’s investment in T1D research is essential to one day finding a cure and realizing the dream of a world without T1D.

How advocacy makes a difference…

What is the power of advocacy? Here is an example: Eli Lily recently cut insulin prices by 70% capping the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 per month and bringing relief for millions who need insulin to live. The move put the drug manufacturer in line with a popular provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that capped the cost of insulin for seniors on Medicare. While this seemingly doesn’t have to do with the SDP renewal, it is actually a direct result of patient advocacy and shows the power of speaking up and speaking out. Advocacy matters. Advocacy works. Changes to drug pricing resulted from people with diabetes organizing and making it known that price gauging was leading to insulin rationing (costing people their lives) and that companies could, in fact, lower the list price of insulin.

Never doubt your power to bring about change and improve the lives of people living with T1D. Use the link above to send a message to your representative in the U.S. House of Representatives to sign a letter supporting the SDP renewal. JDRF has made it easy to do with a few clicks (see the link above). No superhero cape required (but all T1D families have one).

We need to take action to ensure SDP funding is renewed! Please, spread the word to your family and friends asking them to act, too. Click and share the JDRF Action Alert link above.