WASHINGTON, DC - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) today delivered the following remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives in strong support of H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act.
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Remarks as prepared:
Each of us here in this House has taken a different path to get here. We each represent diverse districts and despite our differences geographically and politically. Whether you have an R or a D beside your name, I dare say there is one thread that binds us all: We’re all here to improve the lives of our friends, neighbors, and family members back home.
This is Brooke and Brielle. They and so many of our friends, neighbors, and family members are why we are here today. These two little girls from Michigan, bravely battling SMA, are two of the brightest stars I know.
Our 21st Century Cures effort seeks to capture just a sliver of the hope and optimism that countless patients like Brooke and Brielle exude despite sometimes insurmountable odds.
A year-and-a-half ago we had an idea - that it was time for Congress to do something positive to boost research and innovation and deliver some hope for more cures by expediting the approval of drugs and devices. We travelled the country. We visited with patients, researchers, innovators, and health experts from across the health spectrum. We listened. Put pen to paper. Listened some more. And here we are today.
There is not a single person in this chamber or watching at home today who has not been touched by disease in some way. And it’s time we did something about it.
As we begin debate of this landmark bill, I can’t help but think of the patients who are sitting across from their doctors right now about to get news that will change their world forever.
It is not just the disease that makes them feel powerless and vulnerable; the very system designed to help them has not kept pace with scientific advances.
They need the next generation of treatments and cures, but they do not have until the next generation to wait.
They aren’t interested in debating why the timelines, the failure rates, the size and the costs of conducting clinical trials are at all-time highs. They just know that despite the promise of scientific breakthroughs, they can’t get the therapy that might save them. That is why we need 21st Century Cures.
We have all said too many early good-byes to people we treasure. We have seen families robbed of a parent that will never get to see their child’s milestones, like graduation, a successful career, perhaps a family of their own. We’ve also seen children born without the gift of a future. Life is not always fair. But we must try to do better.
The last century and the century before it brought remarkable medical breakthroughs. From X-rays and anesthesia to pacemakers and transplants, the tools to diagnose and treat patients have been transformed over and over and over again.
Yet for every disease we defeat, every condition we cure, there are thousands more still plaguing our people. Of the 10,000 known diseases - 7,000 of which are rare - there are treatments for only 500.
The history of health innovation is remarkable. But now we’ve got our sights set on the future, on 21st Century Cures. This bill is about making sure our laws, regulations, and resources keep pace with scientific advances.
So what does it take to vanquish a disease? Yes - billions of dollars, millions of hours, thousands of researchers, and hundreds of failed attempts can go into the development of a single treatment or cure.
It’s daunting. It can seem impossible. But still, patients like Brooke and Brielle hold out hope. They battle through pain, transcend physical limitations, and live lives filled with joy and optimism. Our brothers and sisters, moms and dads, grandparents and friends, they all keep faith in the future, in spite of suffering.
The 21st Century Cures initiative is for them. It’s for those we’ve lost, those who grapple with sickness today, and those who will be diagnosed tomorrow.
In this, the greatest country in the world, Americans deserve a system second to none. We can and must do better. It’s about hope - hope that the burden for patients and caregivers is less tomorrow than it was yesterday. And it’s about time.
As Brooke and Brielle always say with a smile and a sparkle in their eyes, “We can, and we will." The time for 21st Century Cures is now.
Learn more about Brooke and Brielle Kennedy online HERE.
