Importance of Medical Research

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) is the leading national organization focused solely on serving the needs of the 1.5 million Americans affected by lupus. When you consider that lupus affects the entire family, not just the individual with the disease, the LFA works to address the needs of nearly 10 million Americans who are affected by lupus.

At present, there is no cure for lupus. Some of the current therapies for lupus are toxic and can cause other health problems from long-term use. The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved a new medications specifically for lupus in more than 40 years. More research is needed to identify a cause for lupus, develop more safe and effective treatments and, ultimately, find a cure for the disease.

LFA Leadership in Research

The Lupus Foundation of America is leading the national effort to find the cure for this widespread, devastating and potentially life-threatening disease. The LFA seeks to stimulate both public and private investment in lupus research, as well as support its own research program.

New Lupus Research Initiative

The Lupus Foundation of America has launched a new initiative aimed at bringing down the barriers that have obstructed progress on research into lupus. The Five-Year Research Support Program seeks to advance biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, behavioral and translational research that will lead to safe and more effective treatments for lupus and a cure for the disease. The program will help accelerate the pace of medical discovery in lupus with a goal of making clinical trails more feasible.

Funding for Lupus Research

Research funded by the LFA national office is made possible by generous contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations, and through financial support provided by LFA chapters and their members. Additional contributions will allow the LFA to expand the scope and size of the studies it can support. You can donate to the LFA online here.

The LFA also works with the pharmaceutical industry and federal agencies to stimulate additional private and public investment in basic and clinical research, clinical trials, and development of new therapies for lupus.

During Fiscal Year 2005, the National Institutes of Health allocated $88 million for lupus-related research. Private industry provided an estimated $30 million. Nonprofit organizations and foundations, such as the LFA, provided an estimated $10 million. This level of funding still is insufficient to support all of the promising studies that seek to identify a cause and cure for lupus. Finding the cure will take hundreds of millions of dollars. We must continue to support efforts to increase funding for lupus medical research from all sources.