WASHINGTON, DC - The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health today held a hearing to discuss the 21st Century Cures discussion draft released yesterday. Today marks exactly one year since Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) began this initiative.
Chairman Upton shares a photo of Brooke and Brielle Kennedy of Mattawan, Michigan, who “served as an inspiration for 21st Century Cures."
Over the past year, the committee has solicited ideas from patients and experts all across the country. The bipartisan discussion draft released yesterday is the product of this yearlong, collaborative, and transparent process. As subcommittee members discussed this draft at a hearing this morning, support continued to build for this important initiative.
Dr. Janet Woodcock, Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and Dr. Jeff Shuren, Director of the Centers for Devices and Radiological Health, testified on behalf of the Food and Drug Administration that they are, “pleased that [the Committee] have included provisions to help us incorporate patients’ voices into FDA’s decision-making regarding the benefits and risks of new products."
Dr. Kathy Hudson, Deputy Director for Science, Outreach, and Policy at the National Institutes of Health, said, “All of us at NIH believe passionately in this mission, and are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and, ultimately, cures." Dr. Hudson continued, “With your support, we can anticipate a bright future of accelerating discovery across NIH’s broad research landscape, from fundamental scientific inquiry to translational and clinical research."
Chairman Upton shared a note from former FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach who said, “I think it has the potential to be one of the most transformational pieces of legislation that has come along since the National Cancer Act of 1971," and commended the effort for looking at the complete health care innovation infrastructure.
Rep. DeGette added, “This committee’s ambitions stretch across the century and so we want to do everything we can to improve the process of discovering, developing, and delivering new biomedical advances."
Subcommittee members discussed the progress that has been made over the past year, reflected in the discussion document, and the work that remains to getting this bill to the president this year.
Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA) said, “Work continues on several complicated, yet critical issues, including the regulation of diagnostic tests and telemedicine."
Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) asked Dr. Hudson about the NIH’s drug repurposing initiatives. The discussion draft includes placeholder text for incentives to develop drugs that, while they may have failed in trials for one indication, show promise to treat patients facing other serious or life-threatening diseases.
Learn more about 21st Century Cures online here.
