Institute Of Medicine CAM Study Targeted For 2004 Completion

An Institute of Medicine study on CAM could begin later this year, according to NIH National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine Director Stephen Straus, MD.

Speaking at an NCCAM advisory council meeting in Rockville, Md. May 28, Straus said NCCAM is working with IoM "to prepare for this, to provide an overview on the use of CAM therapies, to identify major CAM scientific and policy issues and develop the framework to guide decision making on CAM issues." The scope of the study is still being discussed with IoM staff.

Thirteen other NIH institutes, centers and offices already have agreed to co-fund the study, Straus said, noting "we're waiting for some additional contributions from other federal agencies before it starts." The total cost of the study and the financial commitment by NIH sponsors have not been finalized.

When asked about the motivation for the study, Straus responded: "It was apparent to us in NCCAM a couple years ago that there were key policy issues that were not being addressed by the White House Commission [on Complementary & Alternative Medicine Policy] that I thought could be addressed by the nation's leading science think-tank."

Straus also noted the White House CAM Commission suggested an IoM study. In its final report issued in March, the White House panel recommended that NCCAM, with assistance from IoM, "develop guidelines for establishing research priorities in CAM" and address the issue of defining CAM "to facilitate the allocation of resources" (¹ (Also see "CAM Web Site Standards Board Proposed By White House Commission" - Pink Sheet, 1 Apr, 2002.), p. 5).

The proposed IoM study "will be about 18 months in duration from the time it's actually charged," Straus said. "My hope is that it will initiate near the end of 2002, which would mean the middle of 2004 is when it would be completed."

The NCCAM director also told council members they should expect to discuss plans for the "second-generation" of NCCAM-funded research centers at their next meeting.

"As our centers are now maturing - in their second, third and fourth of five years of funding - we thought this was the time to take a good hard look at the kinds of research and research training being conducted by our centers and consider whether or not to modify the kinds of requirements for the centers," Straus said.

An advisory committee of outside experts, chaired by Duke University Chancellor for Health Affairs Ralph Snyderman, MD, will meet June 18 to discuss issues NCCAM should consider in awarding funding for future research centers.

"Our hope is that...this panel will advise us on a series of options that I hope to bring to you at the Aug. 26 council meeting to talk about the kinds of centers for our second generation," Straus said.

The director also introduced several new members to NCCAM's advisory council who will serve as ad hoc representatives pending the completion of paperwork.

The new members include: Zang-Hee Cho, PhD, University of California-Irvine; Kristina Collins, a McLean, Va.-based chiropractor; Murray Goldstein, United Cerebral Palsy Research & Educational Foundation; Michael Irwin, MD, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute; and Benjamin Yang, California State Industrial Medical Council.

Barbara Timmerman, PhD, University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, also is new to the panel. The new members replace those whose terms expired in 2001.

Council members' whose terms expire in July include: Michael Cantwell, MD, California Pacific Medical Center; Richard Grimm, MD/PhD, Hennepin County Medical Center; Diana Manley, a New Bern, N.C.-based massage therapist; Karen Olness, MD, Case Western Reserve University; and Herbert Pardes, MD, Columbia University.

Speaking during the public portion of the meeting, Consumer Healthcare Products Association VP-Nutritional Sciences Leila Saldanha, PhD, pushed for greater industry input on the advisory council and in NCCAM's review of study quality and design during the planning stages.

"This advisory group, charged with the responsibility of advising, consulting with, and making recommendations to the director on matters relating to the research activities and functions of the center, does not have an industry member on its roster," Saldanha noted. CHPA is expected to submit nominations for representatives to the council or other NCCAM committees.