Thank You to the GOP Doctors Caucus

On March 27, 2025, the GOP Doctors Caucus hosted a meeting with the Alpha-gal Alliance Action Fund, expert Scott Commins, MD, PhD, and other alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) advocates to address this growing public health crisis. The discussion highlighted the rising prevalence of AGS—a tick bite–associated allergy that can cause life-threatening reactions to mammal-derived foods and medical products—and underscored the urgent need for greater awareness, research, and policy solutions, including the Alpha-gal Allergen Inclusion Act, a bill that would add alpha-gal to the list of major food allergens and require clear disclosure of alpha-gal on packaged food labels—an essential step toward protecting patients and families.

The Alpha-gal Alliance Action Fund is deeply grateful to the GOP Doctors Caucus for hosting this important event.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Greg Murphy, MD, and Rep. John Joyce, MD, for their leadership in elevating awareness of AGS and recognizing its impact on patients across all 50 states. Their active engagement and insightful questions showed a genuine commitment to understanding the challenges patients face.

We are equally thankful to Rep. Jeff Van Drew, DMD—sponsor of the Alpha-gal Allergen Inclusion Act—who was instrumental in making this meeting possible.

Rep. Buddy Carter, BSPharm, Rep. Diana Harshbarger, PharmD, Rep. Rich McCormick, MD, Rep. Bob Onder, MD, and Rep. Mike Kennedy, MD––thank you for the lively discussion and for the concern and support you expressed for our community.

We also wish to thank Scott Commins, MD,PhD who served as an expert witness during the meeting. His deep expertise and longstanding dedication to AGS research and patient care added invaluable perspective and credibility to the discussion.

As an organization dedicated to advancing awareness, research, and policy solutions, we are honored to have had the opportunity to share the challenges facing the AGS community. We look forward to continued collaboration with the GOP Doctors Caucus and other leaders to ensure the voices of patients are heard and real progress is made in prevention, diagnosis, and safe management of AGS.

Participants in the meeting included: Sharon Forsyth, Executive Director of the Alpha-gal Alliance Action Fund; AGS expert Scott Commins, MD, PhD, UNC William J. Yount Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Associate Chief for Allergy & Immunology; Charles Green, Deputy Commissioner for Agriculture for Virginia; and Candice Smith and Debbie Nichols, co-founders of the Alpha-gal Foundation.

Read more about this briefing on the GOP Doctors Caucus website.