Ali Honored For Disease Fight
Tuesday, September 24, 1996 4:20 pm EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Boxing great Muhammad
Ali was honored Tuesday for his fighting
outside the boxing ring in his battle to
vanquish Parkinson's syndrome.
Ali, whose bout with the disease has left
his speech slurred, used his world-renowned
fame to bring the spotlight to the first
national study for Parkinson's disease
exclusively for minorities.
At a news conference, Pharmacia & Upjohn
announced hopes that the study would
bolster minority participation in clinical
trials for new treatment.
``We noticed that the minority population
in those trials was only about two to three
percent, whereas the overall Parkinson's
population is about 35 percent minority,''
said Jack Jackson, a senior vice president
for Pharmacia & Upjohn, which will conduct
the study with the Parkinson Study Group.
Ali didn't speak at the news conference,
but the heavyweight boxing legend planned
to light a torch at an evening reception.
``The igniting of the `Fighting Flame' will
be the benchmark of a massive international
public awareness campaign, utilizing the
torch to help us blaze towards a cure,''
said Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, Executive
Director of the National Parkinson
Foundation.
