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Dr. CROUT. I would have to disagree. We have many examples of
advisory committees having changed their views, being persuaded
by evidence. I think the one way to taint a regulatory decision so
that it doesn't have credibility is to in some positive way load up
the advisory group in a certain direction.
Ms. OAKAR. Don't twist what I am asking you to do, please. I am
not suggesting that you load up any kind of investigative commit-
tee. I am not suggesting that in the slightest. What I am suggesting
is that you put on this committee a group of people who have the
appearance and perception of being objective, because obviously
there are those people who will work with this issue who are not
objective.
Dr. CROUT. And I am countering by saying to my knowledge
there was no complaint that those people were not objective.
Ms. OAKAR. You just heard some.
Dr. CROUT. There may be a disagreement between those people
and Dr. Scherbel.
MS. OAKAR. Then you are not willing to make that guarantee. I
don't want to prolong this.
Dr. CROUT. We have had a fair amount of experience with send-
ing things to committees. I am simply suggesting we all be sensi-
tive to the value of continuity of process, because-
Ms. OAKAR. No, I'm sorry, I don't agree with that. But that's all
right. You have answered the question for the record. That is all I
wanted to know. Thank you.
The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much.
All right. Our next witness is Mr. Charles C. Bennett, vice presi-
dent of public and professional education, the Arthritis Foundation,
Atlanta, Ga.
We would welcome whatever statement you would like to make.
If you have a written statement we would like to put it in the
record and let you summarize it orally, if you would like to do so.
STATEMENT OF CHARLES C. BENNETT, VICE PRESIDENT,
PUBLIC AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION, ARTHRITIS FOUN-
DATION, ATLANTA, GA.
Mr. BENNETT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the invita-
tion to testify.
I think the major constituency we are all concerned with has not
had quite enough spotlight here today-arthritis sufferers and vic-
tims.
I would like briefly to highlight the magnitude of the problem.
There are 31.6 million people in the country with arthritis to
some serious degree, which comes to 1 in 7 people. Incidentally, the
prevelance rate over 65 is 1 in 2. Of that 31.6 million total, an
estimated 6.5 million have rheumatoid arthritis. Of the major
forms, this is the most serious, most potentially disabling, and the
most painful. Only a small percentage of that 6.5 million-but still
a percentage that runs close to 1 million people-have the disease
in such a serious and unrelenting form that even conventional
therapy doesn't really keep it under control. It leaves them in
unnecessary pain and rather rapidly progressing to deformities. It
makes them totally desperate, which is quite understandable. And
