Seven Public Health Groups write to oppose the "Research Works Act" | Knowledge Ecology International

"On February 8, 2012, seven public health organisations submitted a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the other thirty-nine members of this committee opposing H.R. 3699, the "Research Works Act." This bill, originally introduced on December 16, 2011 by Rep. Issa and Rep. Maloney (D-NY) would prohibit federal agencies from conditioning its federal grants on recipients making its published research results available to the public. The bill would prohibit the current NIH policy of requiring open access to the published works supported by research grants from the NIH. Written from the perspective of consumers and providers of health services, the letter says the bill would "significantly inhibit the ability to advance scientific discoveries and stimulate innovation in all scientific disciplines," "prevent public health groups, patients, researchers, and physicians from accessing the results of crucial biomedical research," have an adverse impact on "the creation of knowledge and information," and undermine "the dissemination and sharing of critical advancements in life-saving research and scientific discovery." The seven groups signing the letter included Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), American Medical Student Association (AMSA), Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Health Action International (HAI), Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Public Citizen (PC), and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM)...."