[chemweb] Fwd: Action Alert: Stop Efforts to Shutdown NIH's PubChem

[Rzepa, Henry]

Excuse the cross posting, but the events described below are of seminal importance


>from:
>https://mx2.arl.org/Lists/SPARC-OAForum/Message/1939.html
>
>
>Dear SPARC Member,
>
>I am writing to ask that you weigh in on an important issue now under discussion in Congress.
>
>The American Chemical Society (ACS) is calling on Congress to shut down the NIH's PubChem, a freely accessible database that connects chemical information with biomedical research and clinical information, organizing facts in numerous public databases into a unified whole. It is a critical component of NIH's Molecular Libraries Initiative, which in turn is a key element of the NIH strategic "roadmap" to speed new medical treatments and improve healthcare.
>
>ACS claims that PubChem competes with Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS). In reality, PubChem and the Chemical Abstracts Service databases are complementary, not duplicative. If ACS succeeds in eliminating PubMed, scientific progress will be throttled.
>
>ACS lobbying efforts are targeting:
>* the Ohio delegation in Congress,
>* Rep. Ralph Regula (OH), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and
>* Senator Arlen Specter (PA), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.
>
>Please consider contacting Rep. Regula (tel. 202-225-3876, fax 202-225-3059> and Senator Specter (tel. 202-224-4254, fax 202-228-1229). If you live in Ohio, please also contact your U.S. Representative and Senators (Ohio delegation contact information is available at <http://www.senate.gov/> and <http://www.house.gov/>.)
>
>Thank you for your help!
>
>Rick Johnson
>SPARC
>
>* * * KEY POINTS * * *
>
>PubChem Background
>
>* PubChem is a freely accessible database created by NIH in 2004 to provide information about small molecules. It is designed for use as a research tool and as a starting point that may lead to the development of new medications. The database connects chemical information with biomedical research and clinical information, organizing facts in numerous databases into a unified whole.
>
>* PubChem is a critical part of the Molecular Libraries initiative of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. It combines new data generated by NIH with data available from other public sources to create a powerful new research tool. It is part of the powerful family of integrated databases operated by the National Library of Medicine -- including GenBank, PubMed and a host of other resources that are utilized millions of times a day by scientists all over the world. The integration of these databases makes the whole much greater than the sum of its parts.
>
>Situation
>
>* ACS/CAS has expressed concern that PubChem is a threat to the financial survival of the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS). PubChem provides free access to its database; CAS charges a fee for researchers to use its database. ACS has demanded that NIH shut down PubChem or substantially alter it so as not to compete with CAS.
>
>* NIH met with ACS officials to seek a solution that would resolve the society's concern. Since the initial meeting, there have been multiple communications between NIH and ACS leadership. ACS has effectively broken off discussions, leaving the issues unresolved. NIH is willing to continue discussions with ACS/CAS to benefit the scientific community and biomedical research. For example, NIH has said it is willing to link to the CAS database, essentially providing CAS with access to a new market. Medical researchers infrequently use CAS at this time.
>
>* Opposition to PubChem is from the ACS leadership. It is not clear if ACS members are aware of the issue and if they would agree with the ACS leadership's position.
>
>* NIH staff analysis shows that PubChem and CAS overlap relatively little in terms of content (see attached charts). PubChem and CAS differ widely in scope and resources:
>
>Budget -- CAS budget is reported to be $260 million; PubChem budget is $3 million.
>Staffing -- CAS staff is reported to be 1,300; PubChem staff is 13.
>Scope -- CAS has information on 25 million unique chemicals; PubChem has information on 850,000 unique chemicals (though this number is expected to grow).
>Purpose -- CAS provides chemical, commercial and patent information to chemists; PubChem integrates medical information for medical researchers.
>Overlap -- PubChem and CAS content are complementary resources aimed at different segments of the scientific community.
>
>Why PubChem is needed
>
>* It is a critical new tool that will speed the development of new treatments for America's most important health problems.
>* It brings information about the biological activities of chemical substances to biomedical researchers on a broad scale.
>* A fundamental NIH principle is that medical research information developed with public funds must be made freely and publicly available for the good of advancing medical research to cure disease.
>
-- 

Henry Rzepa. 
+44 (020) 7594 5774 (Voice); +44 (0870) 132 3747 (eFax); rzepahs at mac.com (iChat)
 http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/ Dept. Chemistry, Imperial College London, SW7  2AZ, UK. 

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