ATLANTA, March 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Arthritis Foundation will present Janet Woodcock, M.D. of the FDA with the Floyd B. Odlum Making a Difference Award at the annual Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C. this week. The national award is presented annually and honors an individual, organization, corporation or government agency that has helped to make a difference in the lives of people and families with arthritis.
Dr. Woodcock is recognized for her exceptional service to the arthritis patient community through her leadership at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a champion and patient advocate for scientific rigor in drug approval and drug safety.
As the director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Dr. Woodcock is responsible for ensuring that safe and effective drugs are available to improve the health of people in the U.S. Through this role, she acts as an advocate for all Americans who use prescription or over-the-counter drugs to lessen the effects of disease or illness and encourages the development of new drugs to help people living with chronic diseases, like arthritis, maintain a better quality of life and ultimately to find new cures.
“It is because of Dr. Woodcock’s commitment and leadership of CDER that has led to the approval of new, transformative medications, such as biologics that the Arthritis Foundation has honored her with our Floyd B. Odlum Making a Difference award,” says Arthritis Foundation President and CEO Dr. John H. Klippel. “Through her extraordinary efforts at the FDA, Dr. Woodcock has helped millions of people living with arthritis find new treatment options that help them live more productive, pain-free lives, and we consider her a true arthritis ambassador and Arthritis Foundation partner.”
The 2013 Odlum Making a Difference Award will be presented to Dr. Woodcock during the Arthritis Foundation’s 15th annual Advocacy Summit, held March 4-6 in Washington, D.C. The Advocacy Summit will bring together 300 key arthritis advocates from all 50 states, including the District of Columbia, to ask Congress to support people with arthritis through policies that will ensure more research, better treatments and greater access to care.
About the Floyd B. Odlum Making a Difference Award
The Floyd B. Odlum Making a Difference Award was established in honor of Floyd B. Odlum, the first chairman of the Arthritis Foundation board of trustees. The award recognizes major contributions and achievements that have advanced the mission of the Arthritis Foundation and honors an individual, organization, corporation or government agency that has helped to make a difference in the lives of people and families with arthritis.
About the Arthritis Foundation
Striking one in every five adults and 300,000 children, arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability. The Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) is committed to raising awareness and reducing the impact of the serious, painful and unacceptable disease, which can severely damage joints and rob people of living life to its fullest. The Foundation funds life-changing research that has restored mobility in patients for more than six decades; fights for health care policies that improve the lives of the millions who live with arthritis; and partners with families to provide empowering programs and information.
CONTACT: Meera Venkatraman, Arthritis Foundation, +1-404-965-7631, mvenkatraman@arthritis.org
SOURCE Arthritis Foundation