The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) announced the launch of a month-long fundraising and awareness campaign, in conjunction with The Safeway Foundation, to support breast cancer research during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
 
Despite considerable progress in the fight against breast cancer, it’s still the most frequently diagnosed type of non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in our country.  This year, an estimated 232,620 women will be newly diagnosed and nearly 40,000 will die from breast cancer.  During October—National Breast Cancer Awareness Month—we reaffirm our commitment to supporting breast cancer research, and to educating all Americans about its risk factors, detection, and treatment.
 
To learn about one of the ways the FNIH is leading the fight against this devastating disease, click and watch this video about the I-SPY 2 TRIAL—a groundbreaking clinical trial we manage and fund—that is treating women newly diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
 
I-SPY 2 has the potential to cut the cost and time it takes for drug development so that safe and effective new treatments can be brought to market more efficiently. Currently, it takes over $1 billion, 12 to 15 years, and thousands of patient volunteers to get a single drug to market.  I-SPY 2 uses a new approach that can confirm how well a drug is working earlier in the process so that drugs can be approved using fewer patients, less time and far fewer resources. The goal is to shave several years and hundreds of millions of dollars off the current process—ethically and safely. The Safeway Foundation has provided significant funding towards the I-SPY 2 trial, including essential funding for treatment of patients at 16 of the trial’s 19 clinical sites.
 
Throughout the month of October, shoppers at nearly 1,700 Safeway stores in the United States and Canada can donate funds at the check stand that will benefit a range of breast cancer awareness, early detection and research projects across North America, including the I-SPY 2 trial. Customers will also have the opportunity to purchase special pink breast cancer reusable bags of which a dollar from each sale goes to the cause.  Safeway and a number of its suppliers donate $5 for every $30 spent on products with special pink ribbon tags.
 
I-SPY 2 is just one example of the ways the FNIH advances innovative medical research and improves patient care through unique public-private partnerships with the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.  Together, we can accomplish what no one entity could do alone.  Join us in addressing the most devastating and pressing health challenges of our time by making a donation to FNIH today.
 
For more information about the I-SPY 2 breast cancer clinical trial and how you can take action to support critical breast cancer research, please visit: fnih.org
 
The I-SPY 2 trial is currently enrolling women with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer. For more information please visit: ispy2.org

Jenna R.M. Palfrey
Communications Manager
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
9650 Rockville Pike  |  Bethesda, MD 20814 | www.fnih.org
Direct (301) 435-2613  |  Fax (301) 480-2752