Vicki Ratner, MD, ICA President, testifies before the US Senate and House Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations. Senate and House Committee Reports direct the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to give special consideration to encouraging IC research.

The NIH publishes the first Request for Applications (RFA) for federal research grants that specifically mention IC.

ICA organizes a meeting of 35 urological researchers in Boston to discuss IC research - the first large-scale meeting of medical researchers to focus exclusively on IC.

The ICA donates $60,000 to the University of Pennsylvania towards the first laboratory for IC research.

ICA Board Member Mona Schlossberg testifies before the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to request more research funding and accelerated drug approvals for IC treatments.

Elmiron is made available to some IC patients upon special application to the FDA.

National publicity efforts continue and articles appear in the Boston Globe, Washington Post, New York Daily News, and Women's World. Radio and television appearances include the Today Show and Good Morning America, as well as a feature on National Public Radio.

The ICA's Second National Meeting, including a special program for State Coordinators, takes place in Boston.