20 Oct. 2008

Dear RRP Community,

As previously stated on both our websites, RRP ISA and the RRPF wrote a letter to the RRP Task Force regarding researching Artemisinin, as follows. In response, the minutes to the RRP Task Force meeting show the following:

"A letter was distributed to the group from the International RRP ISA Center and the RRP Foundation (via Michael Green and Bill Stern) requesting the Task Force to issue a public statement recommending that research into the use of Artemisinin and its analogues be moved toward the top of any short list of research initiatives. After discussion, the group elected to contact Dr. Richard Schlegel and ask for him to make a 5-10 minute presentation to the Task Force at its May meeting regarding his work in this area. Additionally, Dr. Wiatrak volunteered to try and put Dr. Schlegel in touch with Dr. Tom Broker to review the available data and suggest further applications for translational research involving RRP."

There are several matters of fact that need to be noted here:

(1) RRP Task Force members had previously been sent hyperlinks to Dr. Schlegel’s Powerpoint and a 20 minute MP3, addressing the subject of Artemisinin and his research with dogs. It appears that despite the urgent tone of our letter, some members may not have reviewed this material prior to attending the RRP Task Force meeting. In this context, the proposal for a 5-10 minute presentation in May 2009 is a bit underwhelming.
(2) While we appreciate Dr. Wiatrak's desire to connect Drs. Schlegel and Broker, this was already done several years ago.
(3) Delaying its "review" until May pushes back any meaningful action for eight months. It represents the kind of response that, as members of the RRP Task Force, we had not expected.

Unfortunately, there was no suggestion in the Task Force minutes that iteration on this issue could be expedited by phone or email, to help move it along faster. It's as if patients had all the time in the world, and for that reason, the overall tone of the response from the RRP Task Force was disappointing. For that reason, our respective organizations will continue working together to find interested researchers, despite what appears to be a lack of urgency regarding this matter by the RRP Task Force.

Warm regards,

Bill Stern, RRPF and Michael Green, RRP ISA